CSI: One Shot Collection
by Lil Badger 101
Summary: A challenge to myself to write 101 One Shots! Will be for different characters and genres! Sorry but no slash. Story 41: When a suspect attack's Greg in his apartment, will Nick realise something is wrong in time to save him?
1. Things That Were Unsaid

**A/N: Hello people! So anyone who's been reading Toddler Troubles will know about this, I have set myself the challenge of writing 101 CSI One Shots and this is the first! I will write for any character but as you guys know I like writing about Nick and Greg the most, so expect a lot of them :) I will also try a variety of genres, but be warned I am really not confident with Romance XD but I will give it my best shot! So yeah I will update whenever a story comes to mind or based on requests :) So any way, let's start with the heavy and get right in with a Greg angsty piece!  
Hope you like :)**

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**Thinks That Were Unsaid **

Greg walked with his arms strongly folded across his chest, pulling his coat tight as he tried to keep warm in the harsh wind. His scarf was wrapped firmly around his neck which blew sideways in the breeze along with his hair. It was a cold and dark night in autumn, he didn't think it was even possible to get that cold in Vegas, but that obviously wasn't the case. Besides, the cold didn't matter, it wouldn't deter the youngest CSI from what he needed to do, what he _wanted _to do.

Finally he found the gravestone he was looking for, reading each individual letter engraved there and still not being able to believe it. _Warrick Brown._ Greg brushed off some of the moss and weeds that had grown over the grey stone and replaced them with some flowers. "I know you probably wouldn't like them, nothing manly about them but, you know it's the thought that counts" he tried to reason with the spirit.

Greg sat down on the ground beside the stone with his legs crossed and starting pulling at the grass, twiddling it round in his fingers before throwing it into the wind and watching it float away. When he'd been driving here he thought he'd planned out exactly what he was going to say, but nobody can ever really plan for a situation like this. It was the first time the former lab tech had ever come down by himself, normally he'd come down with one of the others for ten minutes after work. But that day was different, that say Greg wanted to go alone and say the things he never got to say before.

"I had a close call today…" he finally started, still twisting the stands of grass around his fingers and pulling them from the ground. "I got a gun pulled on me, my God was I scared." He said, his eyes misting over as the memory replayed in his mind over and over, the surprise and the fear of not knowing what to do, just waiting to die. "The first thing I thought was what would Warrick do? You were always great at handling situations like that; I always looked up to you because of it." Greg looked at the stone as if waiting for a reply, a reply he knew would never come. "But it's unfair isn't it." He said his voice slightly breaking as the tears began to well. "Why did I get to walk away unharmed and you didn't." he genuinely wanted to know.

"You know…sometimes I even wondered if you considered me as a friend at all. We didn't hang out much unless one of the others was there too and you always called me by my last name…" he said the last bit with a small smile, because Greg knew Warrick didn't do it for formality but as a sign of affection. It was just like Nick calling him G, calling Greg by his last name was unique to Warrick. "But then I realised how stupid that was" the young man said turning serious again. He looked at the stone as if he was looking at Warrick himself and the older man was sat listening intently.

"I think of all the times you cheered me up when I was feeling low. How you mentored me and gave me great advice. I learnt so much from you, not just about work, but about sports and girls too" Greg smirked "how protective of me you were even though you'd never admit it. The way you and Nick used to pick on my like older brothers would to their little one…" he paused a moment "I hope it's ok that I consider you that way, as a brother, I don't think you'd mind. You were always there for me, and I hope you felt the same way about me... I hope I've done you justice and made you proud"

After that Greg could no longer keep the tears in his eyes as they began to slowly roll down his cheeks "I miss you so much. We all do. I'm doing my best to look after Nick, but don't worry I could never replace you." he could almost hear Warrick protesting, saying that Greg was as much of Nick's friend as he was, but Greg would never believe it, not really. "You'll always be his best friend, of course, and I'm totally fine with that. I don't_ want_ to replace you." He lifted a frozen hand and wiped the tears away with his palm.

"See I need you to tell me to man up!" Greg said with a laugh. "I'll come and visit more by myself, I promise. You'd get bored of you didn't have me to annoy you. I hope you're doing well up there. But I wish you were still here" his voice grew quiet again "I wish it hadn't been you, that it hadn't been anyone. I wish you were still here doing cases and just hanging out. But we'll never _ever _forget you, and I won't stop missing you or thinking about you." He placed a hand on the stone and slowly traced it across Warrick's name. "Warrick Brown. You truly are one of the best friends I could ever have, and you always will be." He let his hand slowly drop from the cold stone.

"Anyway, I think that's everything I wanted to tell you. I just wish I'd told you when you were alive, I know you're not really into this sensitive stuff, but I know you'll appreciate it" Greg said with a smirk. He gently rose to his feet placing his hands in his pockets. "I'll come see you again before the end of the week. Promise. Bye Warrick." And with that, the youngest of the CSI family turned and walked away.

But he knew it would never really be goodbye. Not really. Because he would always think of Warrick, and he hoped Warrick would always watch over him.

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**Review? pretty please? Magical thngs will happen :3**

**Also I'm going to take prompts for storys! So if you have any or any specific characters you want writing about please tell me! Just one rule: I don't write slash, sorry guys :/ also i'm not a big fan of GSR but can give it ago if requested.  
**

**Thanks for reading, you're the best :)  
**


	2. His Mentor, His Friend

**A/N: Wow! Thank you sooo much for all the reviews follows and favourites already, they make me so happy! :) So this story is for ****AussieTayla ****who requested some hurt/comfort with Nick and either Grissom or Russell. I started with Grissom because I got the inspiration for this from the events of 'Who are you', Nick's first hold up. I know this will have been done plenty of times but not by me ;) Hope you enjoy! **

**Summary – Nick has been acting strangely ever since he was held at gunpoint, so Grissom decides it's time he had a word with him.**

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**His Mentor, His Friend. **

It just kept running through his mind. Over and over, it just wouldn't stop. The fear, that was the worst, he could still feel the intense tidal wave of fear that nearly drowned him. His hands wouldn't stop shaking and it was starting to frustrate him. He'd punched a wall once he got back to the lab but that hadn't helped at all. He would still see the barrel of the gun out the corner of his eye, he'd jump to defend himself but then feel embarrassed when he realised no one was there.

Nick couldn't sleep; he would have nightmares, nightmares that that crazy woman had pulled the trigger. He would try to stop the bleeding but it just kept spilling and spilling over his hands as that sadistic woman just laughed at him, laughed at how weak he was. Then he'd feel his knees go weak as he fell to the floor and took his final breath. After that he would wake up in a cold sweat and not sleep for the rest of the night.

He couldn't tell the others about these nightmares, how he felt. Warrick was his best friend, but he wasn't very good at the sensitive stuff no matter how much he tried. Sara would probably listen, but Nick felt they hadn't known each other long enough to burden her with something so deep. As for Grissom, well everyone knew he was no good with discussing emotions as he struggled to express his own. Greg, he would listen, he would probably make Nick laugh, be he wasn't sure that's what he wanted. Catherine, she was probably Nick's best bet, but she'd been acting a lot more stressed lately because Ecklie had been giving her some trouble.

So really, Nick felt alone.

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Grissom was worried. He didn't like feeling worried, it made him feel vulnerable and out of control. But Nick had been acting very different recently, everyone had seen it. Grissom stood leaning on the door frame of his office watching as Nick sat alone in one of the fingerprinting labs looking distant. Catherine had been to talk Grissom that morning and he had simply said he'd discuss the problem with Nick later, but he wasn't sure if he'd meant it or not.

He was Nick's mentor. Grissom was the first person Nick went to for advice on a case and looked to for proof he was doing a good job. Grissom knew he had to say something; he just had to, but how? He wasn't sure how to start because he didn't do this kind of thing very often. He would just walk over there say 'hey how are you?' and see were that went. Grissom sighed, pushing himself from the doorframe and heading over to Nick.

The younger CSI was completely ignoring the beeping noise on the monitor that was telling him he had a match, he was just sat staring out the window. Grissom turned to see what Nick was looking at and saw Warrick and Greg in the lab opposite. Warrick was tussling Greg's hair whilst Greg tried to bat Warrick's hand away. They were laughing and smiling and Grissom was wondering If Nick wanted to join them, but just couldn't for some reason.

"Nicky" was the way Grissom announced his presence. Maybe the use of his nickname will make it seem more casual. "How's the case going?"

"What…oh…" Nick said shaking his head before looking at the computer screen and clicking a few buttons "yeah it's going just fine."

"Good…" Grissom turned to walk away thinking he could maybe do this later, but he hated to see one of his younger colleagues and dare he say it, friends, looking so lost and depressed. "How are you today?" he asked seriously.

Nick looked at Grissom like he had gone insane for a moment before replying with a slow "Fine" he found this quite random coming from his supervisor.

Grissom sighed once more and sat down in a chair opposite Nick. "Nicky, not only am I a CSI But I've worked with you for nearly five years now so I know when you're lying to me. You must have told me at least ten times now that you were late because your car broke down which is one of the oldest excuses in the book." He was relieved when Nick gave a small smile.

"Yeah sorry about that" he said rubbing the back of his neck, feeling a little awkward. "Ok, so I guess I'm not feeling that great" the younger CSI said quietly before clasping his hands in front of him and looking at the floor.

"You still thinking about your hold up?" Grissom asked. Nick replied with a slow nod. "Look, I know it's an absolutely terrible thing to go through, I've been there myself. I froze up, everything I'd been taught was gone. My boss had to bail me out."

Nick scoffed "sounds awfully familiar don't it" he said begrudgingly, he was ashamed with himself. "It's just…nightmares and paranoia…it just won't go away."

"It will" Grissom said with a certain nod of his head. "You have people here who care about you and will help you through, so it will." The supervisor himself then looked down at the floor a little embarrassed "…. I know I don't tell you this a lot, but I'm proud of how far you've come." Nick looked at him in surprise then and blinked a few times.

"Than…thank you sir" he said feeling a bit shocked. "But I just can't help but feel like I've let you down."

"Of course you haven't" Grissom said reassuringly. "You handled that situation the best you could. You tried to use your words to keep calm and in control, and you didn't give up. That's what's important, not the fact that I had to come help you. This job can change you, but don't let it change you for the worst, and I know you have the power to stop that form ever happening"

"Thanks Griss" Nick said less formally this time as he felt his boss wouldn't mind. Nick even managed to let the corner of his mouth turn up slightly.

"You'll be ok…" Grissom with a rare smile "You're a strong guy and I'm glad I've got you on my team."

There was a knock on the door behind them and they turned to see Warrick and Greg stood with grins on their faces.

"Hey you guys…" Warrick said happily as he and Greg had just finished laughing about something "We're just heading out for drinks, want to come with?"

"I have some work to finish but I'm sure Nick would like to" Grissom said with an encouraging smile at him.

Nick smiled up at his friends "yeah, yeah I would." He stood up and was about to walk out when he turned back to his mentor. "Thanks again …." He said with a small smile "I really appreciate it"

"You're welcome and you know where to find me if you ever need to talk" Grissom offered sincerely.

"What was that about?" Greg asked as they started walking down the corridor "Are you ok?"

Nick turned to look at his younger friend. His younger friend who he knew desperately wanted to become a CS one day more than anything in the world. Nick swore to himself there and then that he would protect Greg and not let anything like Nick's experience happen to the kooky, innocent kid. But he also knew that Grissom was right, Nick would be fine because he had the best friends in the world…no, the best family.

"Nick?" Greg asked looking a little concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Nick said slinging an arm around his younger friend's shoulders and giving them a quick squeeze.

Greg smiled and so did Nick. A genuine 'I'm feeling great' smile.

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**Reviews would be absolutely amazing guys! Even if it's just to say I suck, I'd like your opinions!**

**I find Grissom really hard to keep in character so sorry if this is OOC for him, I did try my best, honest :P Also sorry but I forgot the woman's name so that's why I just kept referring to her as the crazy woman XD **

**As you can see I am working through prompts, so do keep them coming! And ****AussieTayla**** I will do you a Nick and Russell h/c at some point too :) **

**Peace out for now! **


	3. Homesick

**A/N: Hello guys! Thank you so much for the reviews and reads, you are all amazing! So here we have some Morgan and Greg as requested by "Anon" who said " Greg trying to get Morgan to like Vegas more than LA" and I had really, really good fun writing this one! :) I had to do a lot of research and I just love Greg and Morgan together. I really like Morgan, I think she's just awesome and possibly my favourite female character, so I hope you enjoy! **

**Oh I forgot!...Disclaimer (which will run thought-out) : I own nothing to do with the CSI Franchise.**

**Summary – Morgan is feeling homesick and misses LA, so Greg tries to convince her that Las Vegas is just as good.**

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**Homesick **

Morgan had been in Las Vegas for three months now and it was everything she'd been told it was. The last time the youngest CSI had visited was for her 21st birthday and she'd had a craving to come back and see the bright shimmering lights ever since. Vegas was a place filled to the brim with opportunity; Morgan loved the bright skyline at night, the thrill of being in one of the casinos, the pleasure of going to relax down by the lakes or catching a concert and the blazing sun during the day.

However she couldn't help but feel a little homesick. Sure, she had started to re-kindle the relationship with her dad ,which was great, but she also missed her mother and step-father as she wasn't used to being so far away from them. Morgan was determined to give her dad a second chance though and was grateful when he let her work at the lab.

That was another thing, work, Morgan _loved _her job and she had the most fantastic new group of friends, in fact they were more than that, she was honoured they let her into her tight knit family. But she also missed the family of friends she had back in LA. Morgan's team back in the Californian city had been just as amazing to work with and they had fun and constantly watched each other's backs. She'd still talk to them occasionally but not enough, and she hadn't seen them since she'd moved which made here feel sad and a little guilty.

Morgan left LA in order to try something different, to be spontaneous and see where life went, as well as seeing her father again. But now the blond wasn't sure if she liked it as much as she has hoped. She had grown up in LA, it had given her so many great memories and it had been kind to her. Vegas had her kidnapped in a helicopter and nearly killed within the first few weeks.

One morning, Morgan was sat in the break room with her elbow on the table and her chin propped in her hands whilst she absentmindedly stirred her coffee. She was feeling more home sick than usual as it was her mother's birthday and it was the first time she was going to miss it. They would normally go down to the beach and then watch the Los Angeles Dodgers play baseball, but now Morgan was stuck in here.

"Are you alright?" Greg asked a little concernedly. Morgan blinked a few times and looked at him a before shaking her head_. When did he get here?_ "I've been watching you stir that for five minutes and you've loaded it with seven sugars, you'll be buzzing" the male CSI said with a smirk.

"I'm just feeling a bit down is all" Morgan said with a sigh before finally putting down the spoon and looking at Greg. "I miss LA" she confessed.

"Why?" Greg shrugged "What's so great about LA?"

Morgan looked offended "Erm, everything!" she exclaimed " the culture, the architecture the landscape, the people. I swear I never had to investigate such twisted people in LA"

"No, no come on Vegas is _way_ better!" Greg argued.

Morgan raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips before leaning back in her chair and folding her arms. She looked rather amused. "State your case then" she dared her friend.

"Alright, modern music, Panic At The Disco come from here, they are one of the most rocking bands this century" Greg said smugly.

The blond scoffed "No way, from LA, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are the best rock band from the 80's and they are still rocking it thirty years later."

Greg looked a bit narrow eyed at the female CSI, he was determined to convince her. "Alright, what else was on your list, architecture? Have you seen the freaking casinos and hotels in this place!" he said spreading his arms wide "Luxor Pyramid, Stratosphere Tower, and practically every building on the strip…"

Morgan held up a hand to silence him "have you ever heard of a little thing called Hollywood!" she exclaimed, she was kind of having fun with the debate now. " Capitol Records Tower, Theme Building..."

Greg smirked "I'm not going down that easily" to outsiders it may have looked like they were actually arguing, but really they were just teasing each other and finding it quite entertaining.

"Oh really, because let's get to landscape. All Vegas has to offer is miles and miles of sand and nothingness" Morgan argued.

Greg raised an eyebrow "Are you kidding me? LA is practically made up of beaches, and the last time I checked they were made of sand!"

"Alright, you go spend a day in the desert here and see how long it takes before you want to go swimming because of the heat, and then realise you can't because there is no natural water supply here and you have to drink vodka instead of water to survive!" They looked at each other in silence for a moment before both bursting out into laughter.

"Ok, ok I guess LA isn't that bad" Greg said with a roll of his eyes and Morgan nodded her head in triumph "I erm…I actually grew up in California myself" the older CSI confessed.

"Really?" Morgan asked a little shocked. She couldn't believe she didn't know that.

"Yeah, San Gabriel" Greg explained "I was a proper geek at school but I enjoyed nothing more than going down to Seal Beach on a weekend and catching some rays…." He paused for a moment and looked thoughtful. "My parents still live there…even though I've been in Vegas nearly sixteen years now I still miss California sometimes."

"Yeah well I've only been away three months, imagine how I feel" Morgan said a little sadly.

Greg looked sad too, he wished there was something he could say or do to cheer her up. He hated seeing her beautiful, deep blue eyes lacking there sparkle.

"You said people on your list of things, but I'd like to argue against it, because you haven't considered the _best _thing about Vegas" he said. A smirk slowly grew across his face.

"Oh and what's that?" Morgan asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'm here" he said smugly, pointing at himself "could you imagine not ever have being in the presence of my awesomeness?" Morgan burst out laughing, not to be mean, but because it was just so typical of Greg and he always made her feel happy. "What? I'm serious!" Greg aid even though he was laughing too.

"Yeah ok" Morgan conceded "I guess that is a fair argument"

"You know it " Greg said with a wink and Morgan sniggered again. "But remember that ok, I'm here, Nick's here, Catherine's here, Sara's here and Russell's here. We all care about you and we are all glad you're here. Now, I couldn't imagine not knowing you." It was the most serious thing he'd said so far and the way her face lit up at it made his heart beat race.

"Thanks…" Morgan smiled leaning over and putting a hand on top of his "I meant what I said…meeting you, that is a fair argument, and I do feel part of a family."

"Good, I'm glad" Greg said taking hold of her hand "now come on, I'm treating you for a night on the town!"

"Now how could I say no to that? We are the in the fabulous Las Vegas after all" Morgan said with a grin.

And with that she walked with one of her closest friends out of the lab and looked up at the rainbow coloured skyline due to all the flashing lights. For the first time in three months, Morgan Brody felt like she was home.

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**Review? Pretty please with a cherry on top? :3 **

**I hoped you liked it because I really enjoyed writing it and maybe I will do a romance piece for them soon, but I like the cutesy friendship for now ;) **

**And for the record I love both the bands mentioned in this story :P**

**Keep the prompts coming :) **


	4. Threats

**A/N: Wow, thank you for the amazing reviews! I've taken a break from the prompts for this one and used an idea of my own, some protective Nick, my favourite! But don't worry I'm still working on your prompts. This was just a little idea that came to me out of nowhere really. It is a bit OOC but I hope you'll forgive me for that, I just can't resist the opportunity for a cute scene :P enjoy!**

**Summary – ****When a suspect makes a comment about Greg, Nick goes into protective mode.**  


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**Threats **

"What was I supposed to do?!" the suspect protested as he slammed his fists down on the table "that bitch, she killed my brother, I know it!" the man was breathing heavily and rapidly as his anger boiled over and his eyes narrowed.

"There is no evidence to suggest that" Nick said bluntly. He had to stay calm and show he was in control, but this guy was really getting on Nick's nerves now.

"Well that's your fault then" the guy said through gritted teeth.

"Look Mister Norton, just tell me. Did you or did you not kill Samantha Jenkins?" Nick asked for what seemed like the 1,000th time.

The man leant back in his chair and looked at Nick like he was trying to stare him out, make him crack, like he was trying to figure something out. Well if that was the case he was about to find out Nick could glare for a lot longer and harder.

"What would you do?" The guy asked. He seemed pretty serious "if it were your little brother, what would you do?"

"I don't have one" Nick said still remaining blunt. He wasn't going to start answering to this guy's games; Nick was the one in charge here.

"Ok, well what about that guy I saw you with….Sanders, is it?" Norton smirked when Nick's scowl grew deeper. The suspect knew he'd touched a nerve. "I saw the way you were with him; you wouldn't let him within ten feet of me when you got me arrested."

"Leave him out of this" Nick practically snarled through gritted teeth, his fists now clenched. Norton just continued to look smug; pleased he had finally gotten to the CSI.

"Well? If it were Sanders who got murdered then what would you do to the scumbag that did it?" the guy seemed like he genuinely expected an answer.

"Why do you want to know?" Nick retorted.

The guy shrugged "just wondered" but Nick couldn't help but pick up on a hint of a smile.

"Are you threatening him?" he asked, absolutely fuming now.

Once again the man simply shrugged "Perhaps" Norton said and that same hint of a smug grin appeared even wider "he seems such a nice guy, it would be an awful shame if anything were to happen to him, I'm sure"

Nick totally lost it. He threw his chair back across the room and lunged for the guy, grabbing hold of the top of his shirt. "You try anything and I will hurt you!" he yelled. Some officers stormed in then too restrain him, he struggled with all him mite. One punch, that's all he wanted, just one punch in the guy's smug and sickening face.

"Nick!" Brass shouted as he entered the room; he had been watching the interview through the one-sided glass. Nick looked round; the disappointment in Brass's face was enough to make him stop immediately. "Just walk away ok" Brass said calmly "We have enough evidence to keep this guy in jail. He won't be able to hurt Greg, alright?"

Nick sighed and yanked himself from the officer's grip. He didn't say anything else, just glared daggers at the man. He didn't need to say anything, because if looks could kill then the man would most certainly be dead.

Nick left the room feeling tense and still angered. How could that bastard even contemplate putting him and Greg through something like that just to prove a point? Greg was the most innocent one on the team after all. He'd never killed intentionally, only carried a gun when he decided necessary and always tried to remain objective. How could someone even think about hurting him?

Nick suddenly became aware of the fact he had been watching Greg work in the room opposite for almost ten minutes. It made Nick kind of sad how Greg was working away happily, blissfully unaware that just moments ago, his life was being threatened. And that's the way it should say, Greg not knowing, as knowing such a fact would probably worry him and there was no need for that.

Nick had made a promise to himself and Greg a long time ago. Not only was Greg the youngest but after Sara left and Warrick died, Greg was the only surrogate sibling Nick had left, as Nick was Greg's. So, Nick had promised to protect Greg and look out for him at any cost.

Nock remained observing for a while, daydreaming, until he noticed Greg smiling at him and waving his hand to indicate for him to come over. He blinked a few times before pushing himself off the wall and heading inside the room

"Hey I wondered if…" Greg started to say but then stopped when Nick unexpectedly flung his arms around him in a tight embrace. Greg cautiously put his arms around Nick too. "Hey, what is it? What's wrong?" he asked concernedly.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong" Nick said sincerely as he pulled away but Greg still looked worried.

His eyes were frantically checking Nick over as if he would find some kind of horrific injury. Nick just laughed; it was typical for Greg to worry about him despite his claims of being ok. If Greg thought one of his friends wasn't alright, Nick didn't doubt Greg's ability to find out and cheer them up.

"Are you sure?" Greg asked still seeming a little hesitant to drop the matter.

"Yes, what's the big deal, I wanted to hug my little brother, ok?" Nick explained casually.

"Well…alright, it's just you've never done that before…" Greg said still looking at him a little suspiciously, but he couldn't help but smile a little at Nick calling him his brother, it meant a lot. "Any way I was wondering if you could give me your opinion on something?" he asked looking down at the files.

"Definitely" Nick said with a smile and the two worked together for the rest of that night.

Nick felt at ease. He knew that whilst he was still around, no one was going to harm or even threaten Greg, because they'd have Nick to answer to.

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**Rubbish, ok, good? Whatever you think, please drop me a review even if it's just one word! I will grant you a wish :3 **

**Keep them prompts coming; I'm on a roll so far :) xx **


	5. When Nick Met Mandy

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't written a story for a while, been really busy at college with exams coming up! :S Anyway, I thought I'd take a break and write this, some Nick and Mandy as requested by ****AA**** so I hope you enjoy :) Also, thanks for the great reviews in the last chapter! A lot of you said you liked the protective Nick, and there is a lot of that in my next big story which I'm hoping to release into the wild at New Year! ;) **

**Summary – There is a new tech at the lab and Nick really wants to impress her, but as always Hodges has something to say about that…**

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**When Nick Met Mandy **

"So did you here we're getting a new fingerprint tech today?" Warrick asked as he and Nick walked down the hall.

"Yeah, I hope they're fun like Greg, I couldn't stand another Hodges" Nick said with a roll of his eyes.

Warrick laughed in agreement "I hope they like sport, It would be nice to have someone to watch it with" he pondered.

"Yeah that would be cool. But apparently they were picked by Ecklie, so I bet they'll be just like him" Nick said with a sigh.

"What? Old, selfish, boring…" Warrick started.

"Arrogant, stuck up, unappreciative" Nick finished and they both laughed.

"Well I guess only time will tell" Warrick said clapping his friend on the back "I've got some Tox results to pick up, catch you later man"

"Alright, see ya" Nick replied and went to Grissom's office to discuss what he had found in the case so far.

Nick knocked on the door and waited for the usual 'come in' before steeping into the room. He didn't look up as he was scanning the file in his hands.

"Hey Grissom, I was wondering if…" Nick paused and went slightly slack jawed at the sight of the beautiful woman sat at the opposite side of Grissom's desk. She turned and smiled at him, a perfect smile.

"Hi, hello, hi" Nick stumbled over his words as he looked her up and down. The woman laughed and Nick could feel his cheeks burning as he blushed, very unusual for him.

The woman's long brown hair was pulled back into a sleek pony tail. She wore fashionable glasses on the bridge of her noise, hidden behind which, were a pair of deep brown eyes, full of life.

"Nick this is Mandy, the new Fingerprint Tech. Mandy, this is Nick Stokes, one of my level three CSI's" Grissom explained.

"Nice to meet you Nick" Mandy said standing up and putting out her hand for him to shake.

Nick realised he was staring and had to shake his head to gain focus before taking her hand "Hi I'm Nick…but I already said that and you already knew that" he cringed, wanting to bang his head repeatedly against the wall.

Luckily, Mandy just laughed it off "Texan, I like that" she said with a nod of her head.

"Oh yeah I'm a true born and raised Texan, yah know being tough, and guns and ya know, stuff…" _Dammit Nick stop talking!_ His head was screaming.

"Right, well maybe you could give me a tour of the lab if you're not busy" Mandy suggested.

"Oh yeah I'd love to" Nick said eagerly.

"Wait a second" Grissom interrupted, Nick had forgotten his boss was even there. "Before you go, what was it you wanted to show me Nicky?"

Nick went wide eyed and looked at Grissom horrified, the older CSI just frowned "Please don't call me Nicky" the younger CSI said embarrassed.

"Why not? You never had a problem with it before?" Grissom asked seeming confused.

"Actually I've never really liked it" the Texan said desperately hoping his boss would get the hint.

"Really? I thought you said you liked it, it reminded you of your parents…"

"No I didn't" Nick interrupted with a weary smile "I never said that, not ever"

"Nicky…it's cute" Mandy said with a reassuring smile.

"Really, thanks" the CSI said, he was starting to feel stupider by the second. "Grissom it can wait until later. Come on I'll show you around" he said opening the door for Mandy, she thanked him and they stepped outside.

"Kids" Grissom said with a shake of his head after they'd left, before going back to his work.

* * *

As Nick and Mandy walked around they talked a lot about their past work. Mandy asked how long Nick had been a CSI for and why he'd wanted the job, Nick asked similar questions to her about finger printing. The Texan was completely smitten. Mandy was smart, funny, pretty. He just wished he could pluck up the courage to ask her out, maybe after she'd worked here for a while and they'd gotten to know each other better.

"Well I best get started. Thanks so much for showing me around, I can't wait to work with you" Mandy said as they reached her lab.

"Yeah me too, I'm sure I'll see you later" Nick said leaning against the door frame trying to seem casual. Mandy smiled and left. As soon as she did he turned and banged his head against the wall "Stupid, stupid, stupid" he muttered to himself.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" a voice said. Nick turned to see Greg had appeared out of nowhere just like he always did. "You'll risk losing what little brain cells you have left"

"I'm not in the mood Greggo" Nick mumbled and began to walk down the corridor, by no surprise, Greg followed him.

"So is that the new fingerprinting tech?" the DNA tech asked with a smile "She's hot…"

"No, back off" Nick said with a warning finger.

"Why?" Greg moaned.

"Because I like her, and besides, you already got Sara"

"How have I _got_ Sara?" Greg asked in disbelief. "She's_ got_Grissom and Warrick's got Catherine…"

"Warrick likes Catherine?"

"Well…that's beside the point…."

"Well if it isn't the lab gossips" Hodges said appearing at the doorway of his lab. Both Nick and Greg moaned before rolling their eyes. "What makes you think I don't have a shot with Mandy?"

"There is just not enough time in the day to explain why. I'm out of here" Greg said raising his hands and walking away.

"Do you always eavesdrop on other peoples conversations?" Nick asked folding his arms in annoyance.

Hodges raised an eyebrow in a very good imitation of Grissom "No, but I was just interested by the fact you think Mandy would go out with you, when she could have the tall, dark and handsome man that is David Hodges" he said with a smug grin and a wink.

"Oh I don't know about that…." A female voice came from behind him. The look of embarrassment on the Trace Techs face when he realised it was Mandy made Nick smile. "I would say…average size, patronising and little full of himself." She said walking around him in a circle; Nick had to bite his lip to stop himself laughing. "And I think I can choose for myself who I _got out with_" she said making quotation marks.

Hodges opened his mouth to protest but no words came out. Instead, he just stuck his nose in the air and stormed off down the corridor in a huff. Nick couldn't hold back his laughter any longer.

"That was awesome, it's about time someone put him in his place!" he said whilst Mandy gave a slight bow. "But he does get better when you get use to him, I promise" Nick explained, he knew Hodges wasn't _really_ a bad guy.

"We'll see…" Mandy said with a smile "you know, since I'm new to Vegas in general, I could really use someone to point out the good bars to me. You know a place we could go watch the football game tonight?"

"We?" Nick asked in surprise, but also secretly joyed that she liked sport, Mandy was turning out to be the prefect girl "As in…me and you?"

"No Nick me and Santa" Mandy said with a roll of her eyes "Of course me and you!" she said with a laugh, lightly hitting him on the arm. "I'd like to hang out with you some more"

"Yeah I'd love to hang out with you too. I know just the place" Nick smiled.

"Great, I gotta go but we'll make plans later yeah?"

"Yeah of course, bye"

They shared a smile before heading in different directions, Nick, extremely pleased with himself and Mandy, feeling like she had made her first proper friend in Vegas. Or maybe even more…

* * *

**So, I don't think this one was that great, It sounded alright in my head but then I wrote it down and… :/ I really hope I didn't disappoint but please do let me know what you think with a review! I actually really like this ship :) **

**Also that reminds me, this is probably going to sound really stupid, but can someone please tell me why the Warrick/Catherine ship is called YoBling? I'd appreciate it :P**

**Reviews and Prompts keep the gremlins away! **


	6. Why He Stayed

**A/N: Heyy guys! So this one wasn't technically from a prompt, it was from an idea I had a couple of hours ago and I had some time to kill so I wrote it down XD I would like to thank Marymel for unintentionally giving me the idea for this. I got it after reading her story "A Good Man" Which you should all read! ;) It got me thinking about how little Greg and Brass interact on the show, which is a shame I personally feel. So this little story comes from the episode were Brass got shot many seasons ago (sorry I forgot the name) and I always found it odd how it was Greg who stayed at the hospital with him, so here is my interpretation of that! Enjoy :)**

**Summary – After Brass was shot, Greg was the one at the hospital, why exactly was that? Thoughts and feelings from both Brass and Greg's POV.**

* * *

**Why He Stayed**

Greg sat in one of the chairs in the hospital outside of the Captains room. At first the younger man questioned why he was there. This wasn't much like him at all. True, working in a Crime Lab his job was to question things all the time, but normally when it concerned one of his colleagues he would be right by their side, so why was he having doubts now?

Greg had met Jim Brass on his first day at the crime lab, back when Brass was head of CSI. The man had said very little to Greg and mainly left Grissom to help the young man find his way, which Greg had to say he didn't mind. Grissom had struck Greg as a kind hearted person from the start, even though he was a little odd, but so was Greg. But Brass had scared Greg for lack of a better word. He reminded Greg a lot of an old school principle just waiting to throw you in detention. He had that stern look in his eyes and lips always sealed tight as if he might start shouting unexpectedly at any moment. If Greg had a problem in those first months of being at the lab, he would always go to Grissom; he daren't even knock on Brass' door.

Brass seemed to get on really well with everyone, except Ecklie of course, but then again who _did _get on with the miserable bastard. Anyway, this had surprised Greg. Not really of Grissom and Catherine, because he supposed they had been friends with Brass for years, but it did surprise him how the older detective seemed friendly with Nick, Warrick and Sara. Maybe it was fatherly instinct, Greg wasn't sure, but all he did knew was Brass had never really shown that instinct towards him.

Greg had to admit, he was rather immature for his age. Well, he didn't mean to say immature, he liked to think of it as old enough to know better but young enough to do it anyway. He wasn't sure that Brass had the tolerance though, maybe that was the connection. Warrick, Nick and Sara were all grown up, professionals, who knew how to be dead serious when it counted. Well, mainly Sara, Greg had seen the way Nick and Warrick acted when they were drunk after all. But Greg, he wasn't like that. Yes he could be serious but he still liked to put a little fun into work; to the young lab tech it seemed like Brass liked to be serious _all_ the time. Whenever Brass was around and Greg said something not normally deemed as intelligent, he would often catch the detective giving him a very unimpressed look.

Or maybe it was just the fact Greg wasn't _really _a CSI yet. When you work with someone out on the field, like Brass did with the others, a strong bond is formed as you have to look out for each other constantly and always be in control. Greg had never had that experience with Brass. The only time they really spoke was if Brass asked him where one of the others were because he couldn't find them. It made Greg kind of sad.

So he once again asked the question, why was he here?

Because he is Greg Sanders, and Greg Sanders will always stand by someone he considers a friend even if the feeling was not necessarily mutual. The young man wanted to be able to say he and Jim Brass were friends, he liked the idea. The older man was tough, wise, and even though he appeared to say little whenever he did it always made an impact, and he always knew what to do. Maybe Greg was too young for his liking; they probably had little in common. After all, Greg suspected he wasn't _that much_ older than the detective's daughter.

Anyway, Greg knew that even though Brass may find it strange of first that he of all people had stayed, he knew the detective would appreciate it. Brass was not a cruel man after all; just a bit scary sometimes…Greg would not want to be a suspect under his interrogation.

So Greg waited, he would wait for Brass to wake up and make sure he was ok, because that's just the kind of person Greg was. He cared, even if they did not necessarily care for him in turn, as Nick often told the younger man sometimes he was too nice for his own good. No, he knew Brass did care, like Greg even, in his own strange way of course. Brass was one to speak his mind after all and if he did not like Greg he would have surly said so.

Greg just hoped that sooner or later, the detective would realise just how much the younger man was willing to be there for him.

* * *

When he woke up and Grissom told him, Brass was shocked to say the least. He of course understood that the team had cases to solve so that didn't bother him at all, nor did Greg staying with him at the hospital; it was just…strange, was all.

Ever since Brass had first met the kid all those years ago, he hadn't wanted much to do with him at first. Greg was only into his early twenties, and the then head of CSI had no idea how to talk to someone that age. He was only a few years older than Brass' estranged daughter…so that also didn't help. The Captain hadn't meant to come off cold, like he didn't like the kid, he was admittedly a very impatient man and didn't feel he had the time to babysit the newcomer, but that didn't mean he resented Greg. The kid was really weird sometimes, sure, but he was young and was allowed to get away with some of that stuff, even if Brass sometimes disapproved. But he had to say he admired the way the kid could snap between being goofy and being serious when he knew it was required of him.

Brass often talked freely to Grissom and Catherine, they had been friends for years. He had clicked pretty well with Nick and Warrick after mentoring them for so long, and he had liked Sara when she joined too. She was very feisty and good at being in control, as Brass liked to think about himself. But he never saw much of the Sanders kid. He was always in the lab somewhere else in the building whilst Brass was always in his office or with the other cops.

Sanders, he always called him Sanders, never Greg. Brass always called the others by their first name, but not the kid. He felt they didn't knew each other well enough perhaps, or perhaps if the detective did start calling him Greg, that would mean he would have to openly admit they were friends. He didn't mean that in a bad way, he was worried about admitting it to himself, not everyone else. Because he knew if he admitted it to himself, that would mean he'd have to look out for the kid too. It already made him nervous enough looking out for Nick, Warrick and Sara, but looking after Greg….the innocent, defenceless, would-never-hurt-a-fly kid…well it might just be too much.

The detective cringed as he thought of the day Greg's lab had blown up. If there was anyone less deserving of something like that, then it was the young DNA tech. Brass may have not known the kid well, but he knew Sanders meant a lot to the others, so that made him upset for them as well as with them, even though he'd never admit it. Sensitivity was _not_ his forte. Greg always seemed to bring a bit of brightness to everyone's day, and Brass had kind of missed that when the kid was in hospital.

Brass didn't want Greg to think that he didn't like him; on the contrary, he liked the kid very much, but he felt like he didn't have to say it out loud. He felt like Greg knew. Their friendship was silent, rarely seen, but it was still there, like a mutual agreement.

Brass walked down the halls on his first day back to work, going to Grissom's office. A certain lab rat form DNA was walking in the opposite direction reading file. The kid lifted his head a moment before they walked past each other and Brass smiled at him in thanks. It was a small, gentle smile that maybe no one else might have seen, but Greg did as he gave a similar smile in return. And then they walked past each other because a smile was all it did take, and Brass was satisfied.

Greg Knew.

* * *

**Wow my first ever chapter/story written without any speech! XD I loved writing this story. I think their definitely need to be more Greg and Brass friendship moments in the show, and I loved writing for Brass as I've never really tried it before, I hope he wasn't too OOC? Secondly, I don't remember which season it was Brass got shot, so If Greg was already a CSI by then I apologise because I know I kept referring to him as a lab tech.**

**So yeah, do drop me a review and my next one will be from a prompt! (Greg whump as requested my McGeeklover ;) **

**Peace out! **


	7. Part 1: Proving Himself

**A/N: thank you for the amazing reviews guys and I hope you all had an awesome Christmas! :) So, here we have not only some Greg whump as requested by McGeeklover but some BAMF Greg too! Yes I know he is very OOC in this story, but we all want to see Greg be more badass sometimes right? Sure he stopped that suspect by hitting them with a plank off wood, and he yelled at that "bitch" when Morgan was kidnapped, but it's just not enough XD Anyways although this could stand alone I might do two parts depending if you guys like it or not. Hope you enjoy!**

**Summary – Ever since he got beat up, Greg has been determined to prove he doesn't need babysitting, but when he meets 3 men at a crime scene, they sure don't help his case.**

* * *

**Proving Himself **

Greg had been working the scene for nearly an hour now and still the cops had not shown up, which was a very bad omen. The youngest CSI had decided not to bring his gun as always because he felt there was no need and even having it in his possession made him feel uncomfortable and wrong. The others hoped that Greg would have learnt his lesson by now and seen that it was a necessary precaution after everything they'd been through, but still the former lab tech remained adamant. He wasn't going to be pushed into being someone he wasn't just because a suspect may or may not try and harm him.

The crime scene was in a subway tunnel under the bridge, a dead business man; Greg couldn't say he was surprised, not doubt the man was looking for a prostitute under here... The young CSI sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket, not only was he feeling lonely but now also bored as could predict what had happened even before the evidence was processed, the empty wallet and the man's face being covered in lipstick being the indicators.

"Hello?" the familiar Texan accent answered the phone after Greg had called his number.

"Hey Nick, listen I know it's your night off and I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate but I got this DB under the subway and the cops haven't showed up yet…"

"Have you called to find out where they are?" Nick asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Yeah they said ten minutes like half an hour ago. I'm starting to think they took a wrong turn and ended up in Narnia or something"

Nick chuckled "when then sorry buddy but it just looks like you're going to have to wait it out"

"So you're not coming to help me? Jee Nick it's nice to know I have a friend I can really depend on" Greg said sarcastically.

"Ask one of the others?"

"They already have cases"

"Well I'm sorry but this is the first night off I've had all week and I don't want to spend it under some grimy subway tunnel and babysitting you. You'll just have to suffer in silence"

"You know I can't do that" Greg replied with a sigh. Suddenly he heard voices echoing from down the tunnel, he saw a group of three men heading his way laughing and shouting. They were stumbling about, obviously drunk. "Oh great" Greg mumbled with a roll of his eyes "Listen thanks for nothing but I have to go, I've got company"

"The cops?" Nick asked.

"No some drunken idiots" Greg explained "if they contaminate this scene after everything I've…"

"Don't go near them" Nick pleaded, silencing the younger CSI instantly, he didn't know Nick cared that much.

"Why, I can take care of myself" Greg said confidently.

It had been just over a year ago, that Greg had been beaten up by those gang members, and ever since then he had been striving to prove he didn't need to be looked after. His confidence in integrating suspects had only grown and he had been observing Brass extra carefully in the way he handled them.

"Do you have your gun?" Nick countered.

"What do you think?" Greg replied, he heard Nick sigh "Don't start lecturing me ago ok, Catherine already told me before I left, but since when have I done what I'm told"

By this point the men were halfway in the tunnel and Greg could see them a bit clearer, they were about the same age and height as the CSI and they all actually seemed very presentable and well off, _a bachelor party maybe?_ Greg thought.

"Greg just walk away" Nick said.

"Oh you'd love that wouldn't you" Greg said growing slightly angry now "Don't think I don't know about what you guys say about me. _Baby_ Greg can't do anything without supervision, what a weakling"

"Greg, I can't believe you'd even think that…"

"Whatever I have to go" Greg said bluntly hanging up the phone and approaching the three men "Excuse me guys but this is a crime scene, you can't be down here"

"Oh…oh sorry dude, we'll just…erm" one of the men hiccupped and sloshed the beer out of the bottle he was holding. Greg smiled in relief; _there see nothing to worry about_ he thought. "Hey…hey…I know you" the man said pointing at Greg.

Greg raised an eyebrow "I'm sorry but I don't remember meeting you before"

"Oh yeah! One of the other men butted in "You was on TV…" he slurred "Ages ago…on the news!"

The third man started laughing "you're the guy who got beat up by that group of…kids!" as soon as he pointed this out the other men started laughing too. Greg couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

"Yes I can tell you, when I saw them trying to kill that poor man, it was hilarious" Greg said sarcastically.

"Alright, alright chill" the first man spoke with a wave of his hand "There's no need to be all high and mighty, don't worry, I won't set my three year old on you!" the men started laughing again.

"Stop it you're scaring him" his friend said leaning on the man's shoulder and laughing.

"Ok, get lost" Greg said narrowing his eyes, he wasn't playing games anymore. "Or I will take that bottle and stick it up your…"

His two friends made 'oooh' noises as the man stepped closer to Greg, but still the young CSI did not flinch, he was determined. "You wanna go little man?" the guys asked raising his fists.

Greg scoffed "please you can barely stand, stop acting like an idiot and go back home to your child before I arrest you"

"You don't…you don't have the power to arrest me" the man said.

"I do if circumstances call for it…. And mocking a person of authority, wasting my time, contaminating an crime scene and being drunken and disorderly are pretty good reasons. Now beat it" Greg didn't let his confidence waver the whole time.

"Fight me" the man said raising his fists once more. "Come on then if you're so tough, fight me!"

"No, because I'm not a complete ass! You were obviously never taught about using brain before brawns" Greg retorted.

"Right that's it…" the man said angrily and before Greg knew it the drunken man's fist was making contact with the CSI's jaw and then his ribs over and over again. The guy's friends just stood and cheered him on.

_Not again _Greg thought with pure determination as he reached out and managed to catch the man's flying fists in his hands. Greg pushed the man back and kicked him in the chest sending the man plummeting to the floor. Greg sat up, his jaw and ribs aching, he was definitely going to have a bruise at the least.

"Hey…you can't do that!" one of the other men said as he pulled Greg to his feet by the scruff of his neck and pushed him up against the tunnel wall.

The CSI's head making a thud as it was bashed against the cold, hard stone. The situation was becoming disturbingly to familiar for the young CSI. Greg kicked back and hit the man on his shin, the man grunted in pain and relinquished his grip, then Greg spun round and punched the side of the man's face, he fell to the floor. Now badly bruised _and_ bleeding, Greg still wasn't ready to give up.

It was now the third man's turn "you're mine little man" he said with a malicious smile approaching Greg from behind with his hands poised like claws.

He was bigger than the other two men, bigger than Greg. He wrapped his arm around Greg's throat and practically lifted the CSI off his feet. Greg started choking and clawing at the man as he tried to escape. The man then threw Greg against the wall. The CSI's back hit the wall and he groaned as he felt is ankle twist when he hit the floor. The man started to charge at Greg once more, but the CSI managed to scramble out the way before the man hit the tunnel wall.

"Idiot" Greg mumbled to himself.

"Come on…" the first guy said finally picking himself up off the floor "I ain't got time for this"

Just as the men were about to leave the sound of cop cars entering the tunnel form both sides made them freeze up in panic. Greg pulled himself up off the floor with much effort. He grit his teeth to stop himself crying out in pain as he stood on his twisted ankle and half the ribs on his left hand side didn't feel like they were in one piece anymore, not to mention the fact his eye was already beginning to swell closed. As he watched the cops take the three men away, there was one thing Greg knew for sure.

He could _not_ tell Nick about this…

* * *

**So what did you think? Again I'm really sorry if you don't like Greg being OOC but I just wanted to try something different :) Tell me if you want a second part! (With protective Nick ;)**

**Reviews and Prompts = one happy chappy ^_^ (that's me!) **


	8. Part 2: Hiding The Truth

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's taken so long but here's the second part to the last story :) Nick giving Greg some brotherly love, hope you enjoy!**

**Summary – Greg is injured and tries to hide it from Nick, can the Texan convince Greg he doesn't need to feel that way?**

* * *

**Hiding The Truth **

Greg had refused to go to the hospital. He was pretty sure the doctors and nurses there would be sick of seeing him their anyway and he knew if he went then he'd have to tell everyone else and he just couldn't do that. The youngest CSI was unwavering in his decision to prove himself, and ending up in hospital for being beat up _again _was not the right way to do it.

The officers who had arrived at the scene had asked him if he was alright and Greg had insisted it was just a few bumps and bruises, nothing he couldn't handle. It was a complete and utter lie. His left side was on fire with at least three of his ribs broken and his twisted ankle hurt like hell to walk on. _Why do I have to be so stubborn? _Greg thought to himself as he grit his teeth and slightly limped over to his car. _How the hell do I plan to hide this anyway? _

Driving back to the lab with his ankle being messed up was a difficult task to say the least, and Greg had never had to try so hard in his life to try and concentrate on the road as he felt like he could pass out any minute. As soon as he reached the lab he slammed his head back against the headrest of his seat and sighed deeply. _There is no way I'm going to get away with this _he thought with a roll of his eyes before getting out, gathering his evidence and trying hard to hide his limp as he entered the lab.

* * *

Nick was worried. He had been worried ever since he got the call from Greg saying three drunken men were approaching the young, unarmed CSI. He felt guilty for telling Greg he wouldn't go and help him at the scene. He just hoped that Greg hadn't done anything stupid.

It had hurt Nick a lot when the CSI he loved like a little brother had accused him and the others of insulting him behind his back and Nick just wished that the former lab tech would understand that nobody thought he was weak. Greg could be one of the strongest men in the world and Nick would still worry about him because that was a big brothers job. Besides, to Nick, Greg was one of the strongest men in the world, he was always good at keeping a clear head.

Eventually it was the Texans turn to go on shift and when he arrived at the lab he was surprised to see Greg. The younger CSI was sat in the break room filling in a report, he had one leg rested up on the chair next to him and for some reason was wearing his sunglasses. Nick raised an eyebrow, he'd always known Greg was weird but he failed to see the logical explanation for that.

"Hey buddy?" Nick said a little cautiously as he entered the room, he wondered if Greg was still mad at him for earlier.

"Sup" was Greg's reply as he didn't look up from his work.

"Mind if I ask what's with the shades?" Nick asked folding his arms and raising an eyebrow.

"It's not the weirdest thing I've done" Greg replied with little emotion. Nick didn't like it, this wasn't his Greggo. "I don't know. I'm starting a new fashion trend, wearing shades indoors, get with it Nick."

"O...K" Nick replied as he studied the younger CSI's face a little closer "Greg, is that a bruise on your left cheek?" the Texan asked as he moved a little closer and Greg notably tensed "and has your head been bleeding!?" he exclaimed as he went to study his friends head, but Greg stuck out a hand and pushed him away.

"No, it's hair dye. I'm trying red now, what do you think?"

Nick was getting frustrated "Greg what the hell happened to you and why won't you tell me?!"

"Because nothing happened that I couldn't handle!" Greg said jumping up to leave before he could remember that was terrible idea. He cried out in pain and fell back against the table. Nick went wide eyed in shock. He caught Greg by his shoulders and dragged him over to sit on the sofa.

"Greg?" Nick said kneeling down in front of him "Greg say something?"

Greg sighed and removed his glasses revealing his eye which was completely swollen shut, Nick's eyes widened once more. "I got myself beat up, again" Greg mumbled running a hand down his face "Why am I such a friggin push over!" he yelled throwing his glasses at the wall opposite and they shattered.

Nick was shocked. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Greg so angry…in fact he couldn't think of a time he'd _ever_ seen Greg angry. The kid sat before him looked like he was going to breakdown any moment and Nick was suddenly pissed beyond belief.

"I knew those guys would be trouble" the Texan said dangerously narrowing his eyes. "I'm gunna go down to holding cells and…." His fists clenched.

"See, see this is why I didn't want to tell you" Greg said throwing his hands up in exasperation "because I knew this is exactly how you'd react, I don't need you to fight my battles for me Nick! If I get beat up fine, that's my own fault for not listening to you because I was wrong as always! I'm an idiot but you don't have to get involved."

"Yeah you're an idiot alright" Nick retorted "an idiot for thinking that I wouldn't give a damn about you!" this surprised Greg "Greg, I don't care if you don't want me to defend you, because I will anyway. Man, I would defend you to the _death _because you're my little bro and I'd do anything for you. I've made it my job to protect you whether you like it or not, I'll always be there. And yes of course I'm pissed at those guys, look at what they've done to you, of course I'm gunna want to go and kick their asses."

"I just…" Greg started his voice breaking "I just feel like I keep letting you guys down. I don't want you to feel like you're babysitting me. I just want to prove that I'm good at my job and well… maybe I'm just not" A tear slipped down his un-bruised cheek and Nick wiped it away with his thumb.

"Greg, you are an _amazing_ CSI." Nick told him genuinely "don't ever let anyone make you think otherwise. We don't babysit you; we watch your back just as we know you watch ours. You're saying if this happened to me or Sara or Warrick that you wouldn't get angry?"

"You know I'd do anything for you guys" Greg replied quietly. "I mean when you…you know. I wanted to kill…" he sighed.

Nick smiled in understanding "And, you could _never _let us down. We've all made stupid mistakes."

"Even Grissom?" Greg asked with a lopsided smile.

Nick chuckled "Yeah, even Grissom."

"Thanks Nick" Greg said finally looking at him with his good eye "I'm sorry I got so angry at you earlier. I know you wouldn't really say that stuff about me."

"Don't mention it bro. Just don't try and hide something like this from me again ok? I care to much about you. Now come on, we better get you to the hospital before Sara sees you or else she'll be beside herself." He slung Greg's arm around his shoulder and hoisted the younger man steadily to his feet.

"Really?" Greg said with a smile "In that case let her see me, then maybe I'll get that kiss…"

Nick rolled his eyes and laughed "Ok, at least I see now you're still the same old Greggo."

* * *

**Woo, love a little bit oh bromance :) I got a couple of prompts to work on and some of my own ideas but I need more! So prompts are appreciated as always!**

**Please Review :) xx **


	9. A Role Model's Advice

**A/N: Hey folks! Updating both my stories because I feel bad about the long delay :S This is an old prompt from smuffly, who requested some Greg and Henry friendship as Henry often gets left out and I agree! So I hope you enjoy this piece :)**

**Summary – Henry had recently taken over in DNA and is feeling the strain, so he goes to the labs ex DNA tech turned CSI for some advice.**

* * *

**A Role Model's Advice **

Henry Andrews was feeling a little down. It had been just over a month since he had taken over in DNA and he was finding it a lot harder than expected. He missed his old Tox lab and he felt like no matter how hard he worked in DNA he would never be as good as Greg or Wendy.

Although Henry wasn't at the lab when Greg worked in DNA, he'd heard a lot of crazy stories off Nick and Hodges, including a certain incident with a dancer's headdress. But they also said Greg was one of the most competent and fastest techs they had ever seen, he always kept on top and barley ever got backlog. He had also brought a certain presence to the lab that had made everyone smile. Henry was not at all self-confident and he didn't feel like he did any of these things.

Wendy was just as good. Henry had actually seen her at work and knew exactly what she was capable of, blowing his mind with her concentration and skill was normally the case. Plus she was hot, and that was always a bonus.

Henry had decided to make the transition from Tox to DNA because he wanted to try something new. He was a good Tox lab technician, he knew that, but now he thought moving might have been a bad idea as he didn't have Wendy's confidence or Greg's flair. He needed advice. And he knew exactly who to go to.

When it came to his break time, Henry went down to the office he knew Greg shared with Nick. The lab tech entered to find the CSI sat at his desk with his head propped on his fist as he was scribbling away on some report papers. Henry knocked on the side of the door gently and Greg looked up and smiled.

"Hey lil' H" the CSI said and Henry smiled. Greg had started calling him that recently after he started calling Hodges 'H', he didn't want Henry to feel left out. "What can I do for you?" he asked putting his pen down.

"I kind of need some advice" Henry mumbled feeling a little embarrassed.

Greg went wide eyed and his mouth dropped slightly "Well, erm…I sure you were looking for me?" he asked seriously "because I think Catherine is just…"

"No, no I was looking for you" Henry said reassuringly as he entered the room further with his hands clasped in front of him. He and Greg were good friends and he would never normally get nervous around him, but this was kind of a big deal for the lab tech.

"Oh" Greg said still a little surprised. He was barely ever asked for advice and he didn't consider himself the brightest of the group at all, so he failed to see what Henry could want to ask him. "Well then take a seat and tell me what's on your mind." Henry complied and sat looking nervously at Greg. "You know I've never had anyone be nervous of me before but I know how it feels. I remember when I could barely string a sentence together in front of Grissom. I won't bite Henry, promise" he said with an encouraging smile. "You know you can tell me anything."

"Ok...well I can't believe I'm actually saying this but, you're kind of like my role model around here Greg" Henry admitted.

Greg looked a little taken aback; he'd never expected something like this. "You're kidding right?" he said raising an eyebrow, but Henry nodded. Greg squinted a little "Are you sure?"

"I'm serious" Henry said "You moved from lab tech to CSI, you showed me that if there is something that you want to do you just have to have the confidence to do it and you didn't give up until you got there. I want to be like you. I want to be cool yet confident, I want people to always be happy with my work and me, and I want to get it done fast yet accurately. I mean you did all of that stuff."

Greg blinked a few times and his mouth moved but no words came out, he shook his head to regain focus. "Erm…wow, thanks Henry" he said with a smile, he'd never expected to be seen as a _role model_. "I think that's one of the nicest thanks anyone's ever said to me"

Henry smiled back but he still seemed a little sad "I mean I don't wanna pull a Sanders" he explained "I just wanted to try it out in DNA because I find that stuff really interesting and it's different. But it's turning out to be a lot harder than I thought. How'd you deal with it?"

"Well firstly, you gotta get this idea out of your head that you have to be me, just be you. Let your confidence grow and you'll grow with it. I mean, even now I still have doubts in my head that I'm a good CSI, but everyone does. Hell, Catherine's been a CSI for over twenty years and she still has her moments. Just give yourself the credit you deserve, you're helping families get the justice they need and there is no better feeling. So just remember the good you're doing and don't put yourself down."

"Yeah you're right" Henry said with a small smile and a nod "it does feel great to know I'm helping people. But sometimes I just can't help but feel they don't want me, they want to walk in there and see you, or Wendy. I don't think I can ever live up to you guys." He bowed his head once more.

Greg sighed; he wished he could just make his friend see how good he really was. He was upset himself that Henry felt that way. "H, I wasan _extremely_ annoying lab tech. My music was loud and I'd often get caught doing weird stuff, but that's just who I was. Come on man you are far from boring." He told Henry reassuringly, who lifted his head. "I like hanging out with you, it's good to have someone the same age. But you see, since the days were I'd put rubber gloves on my head and play air guitar, I've grown up, and so have you."

"You know, you're actually kind of scary when you're being profound" Henry said with a lopsided smile and Greg laughed.

"I know I'm scaring myself!" he said. "You were a great technician in Tox; I could always guarantee to get my results in time. Now I know there's a little more stuff to do in DNA but that's ok, just don't rush things because you need to do stuff right. People respect you have a lot of work for one person, and if anyone gives you trouble about it then come find me and I'll talk to them or you know, kick their ass, whichever I feel appropriate."

Henry laughed, he felt a lot better now. "Thanks Greg, you know I wasn't expecting you to go all Grissom like. Thanks for the advice, it was really great and it'll help a lot. You're a good friend and a great CSI, you have to promise me that if I have to be more confident in my work then so do you."

"Alright, I promise" Greg said with a gentle smile. "Say how about a drink after work? We'll grab Nick and Hodges, have a guy's night" the CSI suggested.

"Yeah that sounds like fun" Henry said with a smile, which Greg returned. The lab tech got up to leave and Greg went back to his report. "Thanks again Greg" Henry turned to say as he reached the doorway "It really means a lot to me."

"Don't mention it Henry, and thank _you_ for what you said about me. It's made my day." He grinned "And like I say if you ever need to talk, come find me, whenever."

"I will" Henry grinned and left to return to the lab that was suddenly beginning to feel more like home to him. Greg was right; he didn't need to worry about to living up to people's expectations after Greg and Wendy.

He was Henry Andrews, and he felt lucky to have a friend like Greg Sanders.

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**Wow I've never really written for Henry before and I loved writing this! I think Greg and Henry have a great friendship on the show so I hope my interpretation was ok :) **

**Review, pretty please? Just one word that's all I ask! **

**And keep the prompts coming; you guys have given me some great storylines to work with so far, thank you! :)**


	10. Old Friends in a New Town

**A/N: Hello CSI lovers :) thanks for the awesome reviews! And now my next story ;) This was requested by a Guest who asked for some Finn and Russell. Not two characters I've ever really focused on before but I love their friendship on the show and so I hope I really capture it here, enjoy :)**

**Summary – As the two new bosses in a new town, Russell and Finn reflect upon their new team and their old friendship together.**

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**Old Friends in a New Town**

D.B Russell and Julie Finlay had just finished a case with the rest of their team and the two of them were sat in Russell's office going over the final details before relaxing with a cup of coffee.

It had been just over a month since Finn had joined the CSI's and she felt like she was fitting in nicely. She'd never grown attached to a group of people so quickly, and she had missed working with her old friend D.B., even though she would never admit it to him.

"Well, that's another one solved" Russell said closing the case file on their latest murder victim "that was a lot tougher than I thought; we should take the kids out for a meal some time as a reward."

"Don't say that, you make us sound like a married couple" Finn said wrinkling her nose and Russell rolled his eyes, although he had to admit he'd missed their usual joking after they stopped working together. "But I agree, they did well" she added with a proud smile.

"You know when I first became supervisor I though this team would be a real mess. I was warned they always lead with their hearts and not their heads, but if I were to punish them for that I'd be the biggest hypocrite in the world" Russell said sipping his coffee and leaning back in his chair.

"We all have too once in a while" Finn said "We're only human, the amount of crap we see people do to each other something is bound to get us going."

"Yes, well I'm proud of them all" Russell said with a gentle smile. "Greg, Nick and Sara have worked together for years. They know the ins and outs of this place and they're just like brothers and sister. I'm happy they seem to have accepted all this change, and us so quickly."

"Definitely" Finn said nodding her head. "I know I came pretty soon after Catherine left and she was like their mom. I was prepared for them to resent me, but they couldn't have been more welcoming."

"And Morgan too" Russell added. "Now she's a fine mind. I can hardly believe she's related to that miserable old Ecklie" Finn laughed in agreement but then Russell's face turned serious "When I found out that helicopter had been hijacked… it was awful, it felt like it was my daughter's life hanging in the balance, and I'd only known the girl a few weeks. She just has this bubbly, bouncy personality that makes me smile, I felt like I'd let her down big time."

"Well it wasn't your fault" Finn said reassuringly, she'd heard all about the incident "Morgan is a great girl, she can't hold a grudge. Well, except against her father but who doesn't" she said with a roll of her eyes. "I think we'll be giving her, her level three in no time." Russell nodded in agreement. "I just wonder when she's going to realise how much Greg likes her" she added "this is the best will they, won't they relationship I've ever seen!"

"Greg, now there's a kid I'm glad to have on my side." Russell said in a pondering tone. "He just makes me laugh all the time but the way he switches between that and professionalism astounds me. And I gotta say I'm surprised. Hodges has told me a lot of crazy stories about him, sounds like a younger version of me."

"Now why would you insult the poor guy like that" Finn said teasingly and again Russell rolled his eyes. "I mean my first day when I asked you for your best mind and you gave me Greg, well you weren't kidding" she said with a light laugh. "He takes great pride in his work, I see that. And he makes work so much less of a drag. He's a sweet kid."

"Yeah, and the way he and Nick act, I see they're like brothers. Now Nick, he's a tough one." Russell said thoughtfully "I think it took me a while to win him over but I did say I would hate to lose him and I stand by that. He's just so determined and passionate about his job. And I think he likes playing protector to Greg, Sara and Morgan as well."

"Oh yeah definitely, you can guarantee he'll always get the job done. He's just so strong willed and he doesn't take any crap." Finn responded but then her mind seemed to wonder as she added distantly "And he's nice to look at…biceps…"

Russell had to regain her attention by clicking his fingers "you never fail to amaze me Jules, what is wrong with you?" he said jokily.

"Nothing, I'm a single woman" she said defensively, but then narrowed her eyes "and what did I say about calling me Jules."

Russell raised his hands defensively. "Sorry, slip of the tongue" he said with a smile. "You know I see why you and Sara get on so well. You both have this…feistiness about you. And Sara is such a hard worker, I gotta tell her to take a break sometimes."

"Yeah, I imagine it must be really hard for her with her husband living so far away but I've got to admire her independence, and she doesn't let anyone get the better of her." Finn said.

"We got a good team" Russell said with a smile "a good family."

"And it's all kept together by our might leader" Finn said with a wink. "I can't believe I'm actually telling you this but… I kind of missed working with you, even though you were a total jerk sometimes you weren't the worst boss in the world back then. You're improving."

"I'm going to take that and run because I think that's the closest thing to a compliment I've ever gotten off you" Russell said with a smile. "And for the record, I didn't _want _to do what I did, but you broke the rules. You are a good worker and a great friend."

"Thanks D.B., for the second chance." Finn said with a gentle grin "It's nice that even though I'm in a new city, I have my old friend to get used to it with."

"Yeah I feel the same" Russell replied "And we got a great group of people here who make us feel like we belong."

"Right" Finn said with a nod and raised her coffee mug "To Vegas, and our wonderful team"

Russell laughed and touched his cup with Finn's "To Vegas and our wonderful team" he repeated. "It's good to have you back Finn."

The female CSI smiled "you called me Finn" she said with a smug smile and Russell rolled his eyes. Some things would never change, not matter where they were.

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**Poor? Acceptable? Good? Please let me know! Again I really enjoyed writing this one; you guys give me some good ideas! But I've only got 1 or 2 of your prompts left to work with so send me more even if you've sent one before :) I will add some of my own ideas to the mix as well. **

**Reviews and prompts are much loved :) xx **


	11. What If

**A/N: Hiya my lovely readers, I hope you are well :) A prompt for some Greg and Morgan romance, so I hope this counts! I got the idea for this because I look at how badly Greg crushes on Morgan but she doesn't see it (well from what I know, season 13 hasn't aired in the UK yet *grumpy face*) so I wondered what it would be like if it were the opposite way round! I hope you enjoy :)**

**Contains spoilers from Season 11 episode, A Kiss before Frying. **

**Summary – What if it was the other way round? Morgan has helplessly fallen for Greg but he is totally oblivious! So when Hodges tells Morgan about an incident form Greg's past, she decides to do something about it.**

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**What If… **

Morgan Brody was stood in the trace lab, with her elbows on the desktop and her head propped in her hands as Hodges ran some evidence for her. She watched intently as Greg Sanders talked to Henry in the DNA lab opposite. She squinted and concentrated on the sandy haired CSI's perfect lips moving rhythmically and when they turned up into a smile, Morgan's heart raced.

"Morgan?" Hodges' muffled voice started to bring her back to reality "Morgan!" the annoyed lab tech almost yelled "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, yeah you said something about dirt" Morgan said not even turning to look at him and just waving a hand to make him shut up.

Hodges rolled his eyes as he noticed she was staring at Greg. He was immediately overcome with a pang of jealousy. "What do you even see in Sanders?" he asked seriously.

"What? Nothing, I wasn't staring, shut up" Morgan said finally turning away as she felt embarrassed at being caught.

"Yes, you were, I've been trying to explain these results to you for the past five minutes!" Hodges exclaimed as he thrust the files into the CSI arms. Morgan pouted. "Seriously, he's not _that _great."

"Yeah you're right…" Morgan said _he's not great, he's perfect! _She added in her head as she bit her bottom lip.

"Greg wouldn't be interested in you anyway." Hodges said moving on to his next lot of evidence.

"Why not?" Morgan asked feeling extremely offended.

"Oh, no I mean… it's not because he won't be into you personally" Hodges quickly explained not wanting the pretty blond to be mad at him. "It's just I don't think he's had a girlfriend since…."

"Since?" Morgan prompted but she already had a million ideas running through her mind. _Is he married? Divorced? Oh my God does he have a kid in a different country?_ Her eyes widened. _Is he gay!_

"Well the last girl he went on a date with sort of…turned out to be a serial killer" Hodges mumbled quickly at the end.

Morgan's mouth dropped "Oh my God!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, her name was Ellen. She and this guy were killing people with an electric chair, and then they were going to run away but Greg caught onto what they were doing so they tried to have him killed." Hodges explained. "Sent some guys after him in a car; shoot and drive."

"That's awful" Morgan said looking shocked and feeling utterly upset.

Why would anyone even _think_ about trying to kill Greg? He was the sweetest, smartest, most thoughtful guy Morgan had ever known, but to have someone he clearly had feelings for do that to him… that must have hurt Greg a lot and even changed him. Now Morgan wouldn't be surprised if Greg struggled to trust a girl ever again. She would never even _dream_ of hurting him, not ever. She just has to prove that to him.

"I gotta go, thanks Hodges" Morgan said with a small smile. She rubbed his arm gently as she passed.

* * *

Morgan hadn't stopped thinking about Greg all day. Normally it was because she was imagining what it would be like to be his girlfriend, but today she was thinking about him because she was mortified about what Hodges had told her, and how underserving Greg was for something like that to happen. She was also feeling downhearted; there was no way Greg would go out with Morgan if he couldn't trust girls anymore, she knew how sensitive Greg could be.

So Morgan decided there was no time like the present, and she best make a move. After closing her case and receiving a new one, the CSI decided to try and track down Nick because she knew he was working a case with Greg. She bumped into the Texan in the break room making a coffee.

"Nick!" Morgan called eagerly, the older CSI turned to smile at her "You're working that breaking and entering case with Greg right?"

"Yeah?" Nick said, wondering why she was so interested.

Morgan smiled her sweetest smile and made her eyes go wide "Swap cases with me?" she asked innocently.

Nick smiled a knowing smile. "Why?"

"Because…. You love me?"

"Nice try"

"Aww come on Nick" Morgan said sticking out her bottom lip a little "Don't make me play the 'I'm the boss's daughter card, because I hate that."

Nick laughed "you little brat!" he said teasingly and Morgan playfully thumped his arm.

"Come on, you know I'm not really that shallow." Morgan said. "Anyway, _please _swap with me? I'll bring you coffee whenever you want, for the whole month, and I'll even pay for it"

"Hmm… you really want to work this case huh? Or should I say with Greg" he said with a wink and Morgan rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but blush. "Alright" Nick said with a smile taking the file off her. "I expect my next coffee at five, cream and everything."

"Yes! Thanks Nick you're the best" Morgan said giving him a quick hug much to the male CSI's surprise before the blond went off to find Greg.

* * *

Morgan went to meet Greg at the crime scene. She jumped out the car as soon as she got there and quickly checked herself in the window before heading over to the house.

"Oh, Hey Morgan" Greg smiled his gentle smile that made Morgan always feel better "What are you doing here?"

"Oh erm… Nick had some…reports to write, so Russell sent me." Morgan quickly made up.

"Oh, ok" Greg said and then went on to fill Morgan in on everything he knew so far. The female CSI found it hard to concentration without getting lost in Greg's deep brown eyes.

They then got to work. Morgan had been trying to think up what to say, but she also needed to right time to say it. She kept looking over at Greg who was writing a list of all the known stolen items whilst Morgan was dusting the window frame for fingerprints.

"So erm… you wanna go grab something to eat after this?" Morgan asked casually.

"Sorry I can't" Greg said regrettably.

"Oh, you got a date?" _Nice one Brody, could you have been any less obvious? _

Greg scoffed a little "No, I'm just meeting an old college buddy. I haven't been on a proper date in a long time."

"Why's that?" Morgan asked before she could stop herself. She cursed under her breath. _That's it just keep digging a bigger hole. _

"Well, let's just say the last girl I fell for didn't turn out so well." Greg replied "and that is a _huge_ understatement"

"So I heard" Morgan mumbled sadly, thinking Greg wouldn't hear her. But he did.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh well, Hodges told me about….Ellen was it?" Morgan confessed. She didn't want to make Greg feel bad or drag up bad memories but she felt it might help him to talk about it. "You know how much of a blabber mouth he is" she added with a shrug like it was no big deal.

"Don't I just" Greg replied. Morgan was relieved he didn't sound annoyed, she couldn't stand to upset it him. "Yeah her name was Ellen, supposedly." The male CSI continued much to Morgan's surprise. "I dunno, I just guess I'm worried about getting hurt again, or ya know, killed" he said still working, but then he stopped and looked at Morgan. "Is that bad of me?"

"No" Morgan said honestly "No of course it's not". She went over and put a hand on Greg's arm "Something awful could have happened to you because you fell for the wrong person. That's going to take time to heal." Even she was starting to accept that now. "But you know maybe you don't need a girlfriend, because your friends who just so happen to be girls are awesome enough. Exhibit A" she said pointing at herself and Greg smiled. Morgan started to rub his arms gently "Just remember if you ever want to talk, or just hang, I'll always be there for you."

"Thank you Morgan" Greg said quietly and pulled her into a hug "you always know what to say. I'm so glad I've met you. And trust me when I say you're nothing like your dad."

"Thank God" Morgan replied and they both laughed.

The blonde then closed her eyes and gave a soft smile as she felt comfort in having Greg's arm wrapped around her. She wanted many more moments like this with him, moments that she never wanted to end.

Eventually Greg pulled away "Can we re-schedule that dinner for Saturday?" Greg asked and Morgan nodded "Great, come on we better get this stuff back to the lab" Greg said grabbing both of their cases.

"You are the perfect gentlemen" Morgan said with a grin as Greg carried all their stuff to the cars despite the female CSI's original protests.

"Well how could I not assist such a beautiful lady" Greg said with a wink and Morgan felt her heart flutter. "Thanks again Morgan." Greg said as they started to go to their separate cars. And then, much to Morgan's surprised, he kissed her on the cheek and smiled before going to his own car.

Morgan went wide eyed and put a hand to her cheek as she felt the warmth and walked back to her own car. As soon as she got in the car she clapped her hands in triumph. "Now I gotta think what to wear…" she mused excitedly.

She couldn't wait for Saturday, because that was the day Morgan _knew,_ her life would change forever.

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**Hmm… I'm not sure :S it's one of those ones that seemed like a good idea when I was writing it but now… I guess I'll let you guys decide :) I quiet like Greg and Morgan together so maybe I'll write about their first date at some point? **

**Please Review! And thanks for the prompts, keep em coming :) **


	12. Not Just a Nickname

**A/N: Hey guys hope you're all ok and ready for the next story :) This is one of my own ideas but I'm still working on prompts too! It's a tag from the Season 11 episode 'Bump and Grind' and something that for a while I thought I could make a funny/cute story out of so I hope you enjoy :)**

**Summary – At first Greg thought Nick was only jealous about Hodges calling him G, but is there a deeper reason the older CSI seems upset?**

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**Not Just a Nickname **

After Greg had gotten off the phone after yelling for five minutes at the bastards who'd scammed him, he decided he needed some coffee to calm himself down. He went to the break room to find Nick and the Texan asked what all the yelling was about. Nick knew Greg only got mad on rare occasions and for a _very_ good reason. Greg explained whilst he made a coffee and then sat down next to Nick at the table.

"You ok?" he asked when he noticed the older CSI was being quiet.

"Huh" Nick said shaking his head "yeah, yeah I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Greg asked raising an eyebrow questionably. Nick nodded.

"Hey G" Hodges said cheerily as he appeared at the doorway. Greg saw Nick roll his eyes but didn't question why "Listen, I'm sorry to hear about what happened, can we re-schedule later?"

"Yeah H sure thing" Greg said with a smile, which Hodges returned before leaving the room. He turned back to Nick but then frowned as he saw he older friend looking rather annoyed. "Dude seriously, what is up with you!" Greg asked getting frustrated himself.

"Why has he started to call you that?" Nick mumbled.

"Who call me what?" Greg asked in exasperation.

"Hodges. Why has he started calling you G?" the Texan mumbled looking at the floor.

"I don't know" Greg said rolling his eyes "because I call him H, because it's my nickname…" but then a thought occurred to him "Oh" he said with a smile creeping across his face.

"What?" Nick said giving his younger friend an incredulous look "What!?" he exclaimed when Greg wouldn't stop smiling and raised his eyebrow.

"You're jealous" Greg said playfully hitting Nick's arm.

The Texan scoffed "I don't think so"

"You so are!" Greg laughed.

"Err, you wish!" Nick said determined to remain indifferent.

"Oh come on, you gave me that nickname!" Greg laughed "Everyone knows you're the only one who ever calls me it."

"Except now it's Hodges too" Nick blurted out before he could stop himself.

"See I knew it!" Greg said clapping his hands together. Nick folded his arms and frowned. "Aww Nick, that's so sweet" the younger CSI said pinching the Texan's cheek jokily but Nick batted his hand away. "Ok so you're sulking now" Greg said with a light laugh.

"No" Nick lied.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry" Greg said with a gentle smile "how can I make it up to you? Do you want me to start calling you N?" he asked teasingly.

"What?" Nick said with a confused tone.

"Yeah you're right it doesn't have the same ring to it. I don't see what the deal, it's just name. In fact it's not even that it's a letter. Anyway, I've never called you Nicky" Greg pointed out.

"Well, Griss and Cath only called me that when I was in trouble. Besides, that was always Warrick's name for me" Nick said a little sadly at the thought of his friend. Greg felt a little guilty then and put a hand on his friends shoulder as a sign of comfort, Nick gave him an appreciative smile.

"I do call you by your nickname anyway" Greg said as he lowered his hand. "Nick is your nickname, it's short for Nicholas."

Nick rolled his eyes "that doesn't count, nobody calls me _Nicholas"_ he said with a light laugh. "Then I can argue Greg is your nickname because it's short for Gregory." He said with a smile, he knew Greg _hated _it when someone called him Gregory, he always said it made him feel like he was 80 years old.

"And I accept that" Greg said just because he knew it would annoy Nick further.

"Look, it's not about the name, alright" Nick said a little sadly and Greg gave him a worried frown. He didn't like to see Nick upset.

"Then what is it about?" Greg asked in a serious tone, determined to get to the core of the problem.

"Ok… not to sound like I'm twelve…. But you're my best friend." Nick said, he paused a second to wait for Greg to make some remark, making fun of him, but he was surprised when the younger man just looked at him quietly waiting for him to continue. "I mean don't get me wrong, I have no problem with you being close friends with Hodges, he's a good friend of mine too… but _I_ gave you that nickname as a sign of how close _we _were."

"Were? Do you not want to be friends with me anymore?" Greg said looking upset too "I'm sorry; I didn't know I'd done anything wrong."

"No, No Greg you haven't done anything wrong. Of course I still want to be friends with you" Nick said reassuringly and the younger CSI notably relaxed a little. "It's probably just me being paranoid, but… I don't know first Warrick…and then Riley came, Grissom left, Ray came, Riley left and Sara came back. It just feels like so much has been changing over the past few years and we've had to deal with so much, we just don't hang out as much as we use to. It feels like we're drifting apart and I don't want that. I guess when Hodges called you G, it made me realise that's how close we use to be. I haven't called you that in a long time."

Greg didn't know what to say, he definitely hadn't been expecting that. It was so unlike Nick to be so open about something like that, but the really sad part was Greg knew it was all true. He agreed. They had been through a lot in the past few years and cases had only seemed to be getting harder, people kept changing, it was hard to keep up with everything.

"Well then we can't let happen_,_ I _won't_ let that happen. I mean we've just spent the past five minutes ragging each other like we always do" Greg pointed out. "People may have been changing but we're still the same. Yes, me and Hodges have been more pally than usual but he's really upset about Wendy and I want to be there for him." Greg explained. Nick nodded, he understood that. "But you know what, I can have tonnes of friends, but you're the only older brother I have." He said sincerely.

Nick smiled. "Thanks, that means a lot. You'll always be my little brother too."

"So, what are we doing this weekend for _our _guy time?" Greg asked with an excited grin "We could go see the baseball game, or there's that new bar just opened a couple of blocks away."

Nick's smile grew wider, he was pleased Greg was willing to make the effort and so was he; he couldn't wait to start properly hanging out with his little brother again. "How about both?" he suggested.

"You're on" Greg smiled "and I'll tell Hodges to stop calling me G" he said reassuringly "that is _your_ thing."

"You don't have too" Nick said genuinely, he felt more than a little childish about the whole incident.

"No it's ok I want too" Greg said with a roll of his eyes "No offence to Hodges but when he calls me that, it makes me cringe" he said with a slight shudder and both the CSI's laughed.

"Thanks for the reassurance G" Nick said with a soft smile which Greg returned.

"Thanks for calling me G"

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**Sorry but I struggled to remember specific details from the episode so sorry it's a bit loose in that sense :P but Bromance is still good right? ;)**

**Loved or loathed? A Review would be ace :) **


	13. You're A Flirt

**A/N: Hey guys, two different story updates in one night, I'm on a roll! This one came from a request from 9Laura8, who asked for Greg teaching Nick to flirt with girls. This was a great prompt and I had so much fun writing it so I hope you have fun reading it, enjoy! **

**Summary – Greg offers to teach Nick how to flirt with girls, but Nick's finding it all to weird and then Hodges walks in…**

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**You're A Flirt **

"What's up with you mister doom and gloom?" Greg asked when he entered the break room to find Nick sat at the table with his head propped in his hand, spinning a coin on the table. "Come on, it's Friday night. We got the whole weekend off!" Greg said happily as he sat opposite his friend.

"Yeah" Nick mumbled "And I ain't got nothing better to do than try and beat my high score on Call of Duty" the Texan said with a sigh.

"Man that's rough" Greg said giving his friend a sympathetic look "you need a girl in your life or you might just end up at the next Star Trek convention with Hodges and Archie" the younger CSI teased.

"God forbid" Nick said going wide eyed at the thought. "Anyway, you're not such a Romeo yourself."

Greg pretended to look offended "I'll have you know I have been seeing someone the past few weeks and we have really hit it off."

"Really?" Nick said raising an eyebrow "Who?" he challenged.

"I'm not telling you"

"So in other words, she doesn't exist."

"Oh, she's real all right…"

"Don't! Go any further" Nick said raising a hand and Greg laughed.

"Come on man you just need to get yourself back out there!" Greg said encouragingly "Hit the clubs the casinos, I'll even be your wing man"

"What you're just going to play the whole 'have you met Nick' routine? Because that never really works"

"Oh ye of little faith" Greg said placing a hand on his heart "you wound me."

"Look I just don't think I'm up to it ok. I haven't had a date in a long time; I'm a little rusty when it comes to talking to girls."

"Well then let me help you" Greg said sitting cross legged on the chair and leaning forward, placing his hands together and resting his head on them. "Hi my names Missy it's nice to meet you" he said fluttering his eyelashes.

Nick raised an eyebrow "you have _got_ to be kidding me" he said leaning back in his chair "Dude, there is no way I'm practicing flirting with you."

Greg scoffed "Oh, well how rude" he said folding his arms, keeping up the act.

"Greg" Nick said with warning tone.

"Oh lighten up will ya" Greg said with a light laugh "Come on, practice makes perfect." He said with a wink. "We're just messing, unless you don't think you'd be able to resist my seductive charms" he said with a lopsided smile.

Nick stared at him for a moment "are you for real?"

"Well then prove me wrong" Greg challenged. "Just promise you won't fall in love with me afterwards"

Nick rolled his eyes once more "I think I can manage that" he said bluntly. "Alright, Hey Missy I'm Nick, it's nice to meet you too" he said leaning forward in his chair.

"Mmm Texan, you must be dangerous" Greg said putting a hand in his hair and widening his eyes to make him look innocent.

Nick tried hard not to laugh "Well I promise you're safe with me, I'm a CSI ya see"

"Oh really, do you have a gun? Guns are hot" Greg said biting his bottom lip and Nick rolled his eyes. "You're not going to arrest me are you" he said with a pout, holding out his wrists.

"Never. A pretty thing like you" Nick said sarcastically.

Greg gave a dismissive wave of his hand "Oh stop you're making me blush" he said running a hand through his hair.

"Ok this I getting weird" Nick said raising his hands.

"Why? Come on you know you like it" Greg said biting his lip.

"Stop that!" Nick demanded, although he knew Greg was only kidding around he was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. "Greg" he said sternly when the younger man started to seductively lick his lips "Greg stop…come on stop that!" he exclaimed but then he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Alright, alright" Greg said laughing too "this time I'll pretend I don't speak English…"

"No, I'm not doing anymore" Nick said standing from his seat and heading to the door.

"Come on I'm only trying to help you, spoil sport" Greg retorted.

"No Greg, I'm not flirting with you anymore!" Nick exclaimed and he turned to leave only to freeze in his tracks "Hodges" he said in utter horror as the lab tech was stood in the doorway wide eyed and eyebrow raised.

"What the hell did I just walk into?" he asked looking between Greg and Nick.

"Oh nothing" Greg said pretending to make his voice break "It's just Nick, he's just…he's broke my heart" he buried his head in his hands and made sniffing sounds as he imitated the fact he was about to cry.

Nick looked between Hodges and Greg, his mouth moving but no words coming out. _What the hell is happening! _Eventually he turned to Hodges "This isn't…. I didn't…he's just…"

"I'm out of here" Hodges said slowly backing out the room and then hurrying down the hall.

"That was fun" Greg said with a smile before going to make himself a coffee.

"Why the hell did you do that!?" Nick exclaimed "You know what a blather mouth Hodges is, he'll tell everyone some made up story… and all you can do is make coffee!"

"Whoa, just chill" Greg said raising his hands defensively "It was just a joke, there's nothing to worry about. I'll explain don't worry" Nick just continued to look at him in disbelief. "Nick you got to loosen up, don't get so embarrassed all the time. I mean Catherine and Grissom have both caught me dancing in a headdress and playing the drums with a rubber glove on my head and that _still_ hasn't stopped me from doing stupid stuff because that's just who I am. So, don't you think it's alright to be yourself sometimes, and to feel a little embarrassed in front of a pretty girl. She probably feels just as embarrassed as you do."

"So you did all that just to prove a point?" Nick said pointing at the table. Greg nodded his head and sipped his coffee. "Well, I don't exactly approve of your methods but I think I get what you're saying" the older CSI mumbled.

"Right, just be yourself. Just like I was being my crazy self" Greg explained.

"Ok, then I'm going to bar" Nick said heading to door.

"Alright, bye babe" Greg said "I love you!" he called after him.

"Shut up!" Nick called back but both CSI's were laughing.

* * *

**Oh I really hope you liked it XD It was so much fun to do and I hope it was still in character, I wanted to get Nick's reaction just right ;) **

**Reviews and Prompts…something that rhymes… yeah basically do leave them if you want :)**


	14. Got Your Back

**A/N: Hey guys, thanks so much for the reviews! It's been a while but I just thought I'd post this whilst I work on the next chapter for 'Making It Through' which I hope to get out later today! So I got thinking about how a lot of my stories are about Nick protecting Greg and I thought it would be cool to change it around, So yes Greg is very OOC in this so sorry if you don't approve :P**

**Summary – Nick has always defended Greg no matter what, so when Nick is threatened Greg is surprised with what he's capable of to protect his friend.**

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**Got Your Back **

Nick and Greg were walking from a crime scene looking for a place to eat. Nick was feeling a little shaken. The husband of the dead woman had turned up and he'd been absolutely furious when Nick said he couldn't go and see her, even more so when the CSI explained the man was now a suspect. The man had said some things, threats, which had scared Nick a little. After everything that had been happening over the years, the Texans confidence was no what it used to be.

When he and Greg were walking Nick took a glance over his shoulder to see the man walking behind them with his head down. The CSI went wide eyed and grabbed Greg, pulling him down a side alley. He wasn't about to let his younger friend get hurt.

"What's going on?" Greg asked with a questionable look.

"Nothing, just keep walking" Nick said.

"Hey!" the man called stumbling behind them. Greg turned round to try and get a better look, but Nick just held his arm tighter and pulled him along. The Texan wasn't carrying his gun and there was no way in hell Greg would be so they just needed to get away, Nick was prepared to run if they had to.

"Hey…Stokes!" the man called and then Greg stopped.

"How does he know you?" Greg asked.

"I'll tell you later" Nick said looking to his friend with pleading eyes "Come, on Greg we have to…"

"Don't run from me Stokes!" the man said coming to a halt. He stopped with his arms poised and fists clenched.

Nick saw as Greg's eyes narrowed. It was quite terrifying really. There were only two other occasions he remembered Greg looking pissed. Firstly, was when the younger CSI found out the undersheriff blamed him for what happened in the alley that night…Nick didn't even want to think about it, and secondly, when they found out who'd kidnapped Sara that fateful day. And now that look had returned, and it did not look right on the usually mellow and cheerful man's face.

"What do you want?!" Greg yelled much to Nick's surprise.

"Greg, don't…" Nick begged taking hold of his arm again but Greg pulled away.

"What's this? Getting someone to fight your battles for you eh? Not tough CSI man anymore when you're not carrying your gun huh?" the man jeered.

"Look I don't know who you are or what you want, but just back off ok!" Greg yelled. There was venom in his voice that made even Nick shudder a little.

What had happened to their bouncy lab tech? Nick wondered. Vegas had happened. Death had happened. Becoming a CSI had opened Greg's eyes to a whole new world of pain and suffering, one that everyone at the crime lab struggled to cope with sometimes. This job had destroyed Greg, just as it had done everyone else in one way or another. Nick hadn't wanted that to happen, he'd wanted to protect Greg, keep him the in the dark, in the lab where it was safe… but the lab explosion hadn't exactly helped that theory.

"I just want him to pay!" the man said pointing at Nick.

"Oh yeah…" Greg said edging forward slightly and positioning himself in front of Nick. _What the hell is going on?!_ Nick's head was screaming. Surely this should be going the other way round? He should be protecting Greg, his little brother… making up for how he'd failed to do so, so far. "Well then you'll have to go through me first" the younger CSI nearly growled.

"No!" Nick called suddenly, the remark snapping him to reality. "Greg what the hell!" The older CSI wouldn't let his friend get hurt because of him. If this didn't stop he would grab the former lab tech round his waist and carry him down the street.

Nick went to grab Greg once more, but a shadow emerged behind the Texan and clutched his arms in a vice like grip, Nick yelled in surprise and Greg whipped round. He watched in horror at Nick struggled with the angry man's even angrier helper.

"That can easily be arranged" the new mystery man said, referring to Greg's earlier comment.

"Let him go!" Greg commanded and silently cursing himself for not carrying a gun. He really should learn from experiences like this, but he never did, carrying a gun just wasn't who he was. He was a scientist, not a cop, knowledge was his weapon.

"Oh and why should we do that?" the man who was stood further down the alley dared.

Greg's scowl grew harder and he clenched his own fists as he started to walk toward the man. The guy just chuckled, he wasn't afraid of the scrawny kid.

"Greg, stop!" Nick pleaded as he struggled harder in the big man's arms; he made Nick feel like a rag doll. His urge to protect his little brother was kicking into overdrive.

Greg ignored Nick's call, he knew the older man was only worried about him and he didn't mean to scare Nick, but the former lab tech thought it was about time he did something in return. He stopped when he was about 2 foot away from the man.

"Because otherwise your head will meet this floor and I'll arrest you" Greg threatened. He was scaring himself, he didn't like what these scumbags had made him become, and he didn't want to be this way. But Nick had _always _stuck up for Greg, and now he was returning the favour.

The man laughed, laughed in Greg's face, a genuine humour filled laugh. "I'd like to see you try boy" he said once he'd finally calmed down. He smiled "you ain't got the guts."

Greg sighed, looked the man up and down and turned away.

"See, I knew you didn't…"

But the man never finished his sentence as Greg's right fist made contact with his face. Nick had stopped struggling as he went wide eyed in shock and his jaw dropped a little. No way had that just happened. No way had _Greg Sanders_ just punched someone… but the man had fallen to the floor, clutching his nose and moaning.

"Don't threaten my friends!" Greg said jabbing a finger towards the guy before turning to the one holding onto Nick.

"Hey man, I didn't wanna hurt nobody, he just said he wanted to talk to Stokes!" the man said nervously, he threw Nick forward and then started to run down the street.

"You ok?" Greg asked concernedly as Nick staggered forward. "Did I grow another head or something?" he asked at the sheer look of disbelief on the Texans face.

The man had scrambled up off the floor and ran down the opposite end of the street clutching his nose, Greg wanted to go after him but he knew Nick needed him more right now and no doubt they'd catch the guy later. The youngest CSI would make sure of it.

"Nick?" Greg said waving a hand in front of his friends face, he was starting to worry the Texan had gone into shock.

"You…you punched him" Nick finally stuttered.

"Yeah, I guess I did" Greg said a little sadly, he actually looked really ashamed of himself, and he felt it. He couldn't believe he'd lost control like that….but that guy had threatened Nick, his big brother, and that had made him angry. "Just…don't let me ever do it again" he said placing a hand on Nick's shoulder with a wary smile "violence ain't my style."

"Then…why did you do it?" Nick asked looking into Greg's deep brown eyes. The usual mischievous glint was not there, no matter how much he searched, it had been replaced by worry and sadness.

"Well…the same reason you did" Greg said and Nick looked a little confused. "Warrick told me; after I got beat up…you punched that guy in the gut…."

"Yeah…yeah I did do that" Nick said thinking back.

He remembered how the anger had blinded him to everything else, how nothing else mattered as he balled his fist and landed it in the man's stomach. He wasn't going to lie, it had felt good, and he probably would have kept going if Warrick had not been there to warn him off.

"Threaten me all you want, but you threaten my friends, my _family,_ then there'll be hell to pay" Greg explained.

"G, you could have got hurt because of me" Nick replied "I don't want you to do anything for me if it means putting yourself in danger."

"Nick… you're my brother and you've always had my back. And now you should know that I've always got yours. If it came down to it I'd kill for you, sure I'd probably hate myself after but you'd be ok."

"Thanks Greg, really it means a lot. But please don't change too much; don't let jerks like them make you someone you're not." Nick pleaded.

"Look I know I've changed over the years, after the beating especially… but we've all changed. I'm still Greggo, ok? I'll still make you laugh and I'll still make you cringe at my music" he said with a smile. "I have no intention of becoming the overly violent type. I just went into defence mode for a moment that's all; the badass attitude really doesn't suit me. I'll leave that to you."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it" Nick said with a small smile "Come on, let's get back to the lab" he said slinging an arm round Greg's shoulders "I'll explain everything."

"Nick?"

"Yeah"

"I punched a guy in the face"

Nick chuckled "yeah, yeah you did, and you did for me."

"Does that make me Batman?"

"Not quite Greggo, not quite."

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**Ending was a bit crappy but I think I got the main point across :P Apologies for Greg's OCCness cos I know some people don't like that but I was just playing around with an Idea.**

**So a few people have been saying I should write about Greg and Morgan's first date after 'What If' so I think I'll give that a go next :)**

**Reviews and prompts are welcome! **


	15. New York Meeting

**A/N: Heyy folks! Thanks for the awesome reviews about the last story, I'm glad Greg wasn't too OOC for you :) So, I **_**promise **_**the next story I do will be about Greg and Morgan's date, but I just **_**had**_** to write this after seeing this CSI: NY episode last night. It's a tag from 7.02 'Unfriendly Chat'. Greg is obviously my favourite Las Vegas character, and Adam is my favourite in New York, so I thought it was about time the pair met XD Never tried anything for NY before so I hope Adam is ok in this :)**

**Summary – During some downtime at the Lab, Greg ends up on a chat roulette website where he meets a certain New York lab tech. Xover with CSI:NY.**

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**New York Meeting **

Greg was extremely bored. They were having a slow crime day in Las Vegas, something which was a rarity at the moment. He was supposed to be catching up on some paperwork, but just like a kid who didn't want to revise for an exam, he was instead sat at his desk messing around with his laptop. Greg was not connected to any of the usual social networking sites because he knew all the darkness and even death they could cause, so instead he looked at new ways to meet people. An ad came up for a site, . Curiously, the CSI clicked on it. _Better than online dating_ he supposed with a sigh.

He observed as the site appeared and his video camera came on, before he knew it three college girls were looking at him, whispering and giggling. "Hey cutie!" the blond girl said waving at Greg. "Wanna play a game with us?" she said biting her lip.

"No thanks, I could be your father" Greg said with a frown before clicking on the button which said next. The girls disappeared and were replaced by an angry looking man with tattoos "you look friendly" Greg mumbled before clicking the button again. He went on for about half an hour talking to a few nice people and quickly moving on from things he did _not_ want to see.

Eventually Greg came across the sound of rock music blasting through the screen as he watched a man sat on a swivel chair pretending he was playing the drums. The man however, didn't look weird compared to some of the others Greg had seen. He had a kind face, with scruffy hair and light beard. The CSI wondered if the man even knew he was there.

Greg laughed and clapped as the song stopped and the man took a bow "that was awesome, I like your style" he told the man.

"Thanks very much" the man said with a mischievous grin.

"You know I got caught doing something very similar at work once, except I had a rubber glove on my head" Greg explained with a smile and the man laughed.

"Then you're just as sane as I am" he replied "where do you work?"

"Crime Lab" Greg replied.

The man's jaw dropped in astonishment "No freakin' way!" he said excitedly "me too! In New York"

"Oh wow" Greg said equally amazed, small world. "I'm in Las Vegas. My names Greg" he said, normally he wouldn't give such information to strangers over the internet, but the man seemed genuine and bouncy. He reminded Greg a little of himself when he was a lab tech.

"I'm Adam" the man replied with a wave "So what's your position over there?"

"I'm a level two CSI" Greg said and Adam gave a low whistle to show he was impressed "how about you?"

"Lab rat" Adam said with a steady nod "I don't really have a set place though; I kind of just float around and go to wherever I'm needed. Although I'd say trace is probably my main area. They let me out on the field sometimes…but only If I beg…and promise I won't mess up. But I'm nuts so like that's ever gunna happen." He said with a roll of his eyes.

Greg laughed "Well it seems we have a lot in common. I used to be a lab tech too, DNA is my speciality."

"Oh really, we could use one of those, a DNA expert I mean." Adam said "I'm ok but it's not my strongest field like I said. Our actual DNA guy is a bore, like I'd rather sit and talk to a rock."

"Hmm sounds like one of my bosses" Greg said thinking about Ecklie.

"So you went to from lab rat to CSI, that's impressive man" Adam said with true admiration in his voice.

"Thanks, I decided like five years ago that the lab just wasn't the place for me. I wanted to get out there ya know? I mean I loved my job but… a certain experience made me realise there was much more I wanted to do."

"Ah, one of _those_ experiences" Adam said with an understanding nod. "I've had a fair share of them myself. It gets tough sometimes right?"

"Tell me about it" Greg said with a sigh "Anyways this is depressing, what's happening in New York right now? I lived there for a few years but it was longer ago than I wish to admit."

"Oh, you know the usual, murder here, a robbery there, odd suicide round and about." Adam said with a sigh "but other than that it's still one huge party, the city that never sleeps….after Vegas of course. You know I've never been. I'd love to though; they always make it sound amazing."

"Well I'll take you then because you're missing out" Greg said with smile, picking up the lap top and quickly heading to the stairs and up to the roof. "Adam, this is Vegas in real time" he said turning the lab top round and he heard Adam gasp at the sight of the rainbow skyline, the sound of the soft, thudding music and the iconic buildings such as the pyramids towered over.

"It looks just a good as everyone says" Adam said and after a few minutes Greg headed back down to his office.

"Yeah, that's Vegas" Greg said "So you guys having a slow night too? Or are you just hiding from the boss?" he asked.

"Bit of both I guess" Adam said with a nervous smile "If Mac ever caught me on here then I doubt there'd be a happy ending."

"Same here, my boss Grissom just doesn't understand sometimes that there is life outside of work" Greg explained and Adam nodded in understanding.

"Hey Adam!" someone called behind the lab tech, but they were off screen so Greg couldn't see who it was.

"Oh no, Danny" Adam said with a roll of his eyes "Excuse me one sec" he said placing a hand over the screen and looking round. "Yes?"

"Are you on that site again?" Greg heard this Danny person ask "Man you need to get out more, unless is that a hot girl you're talking to."

Greg scoffed "No" Adam replied "Hey no Danny go away!" there was a scuffling sound and Greg could only guess the New York tech was trying to push Danny away and stop him being nosy.

"Don't fall for his charm!" Danny called still convinced Greg was a girl Adam was hiding "he has a weird obsession with aliens, we reckon he was abducted."

"Danny shut up!" Adam pleaded and Greg couldn't help but laugh "Go away, or I'll tell Lindsay _you_ were talking to the hot girl"

"Alright, alright no need to play dirty!" Danny replied with a laugh and Greg heard him walk away.

Adam took his hand off the screen and sighed, running a hand through his hair "Sorry about that" he said with a look of embarrassment. "It's just Danny, he likes to be a jerk sometimes." He said with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey man I hear ya. My team members, Nick and Warrick, they pick on me like that all the time, but I know it's just 'cause they see me as a kid brother, they can be very overprotective too." Greg said. He was amazed by how much he and Adam could relate.

"Mmm that sounds like Danny and Hawkes, so you're the youngest of the bunch too huh?"

"Yep" Greg said with a smile. "The youngest, the nuisance, the one who just won't do as he's told sometimes. The crazy one…. I once danced around my lab in a burlesque dancer's headdress" he confessed and Adam laughed "ever since then I think they've all been a little more than concerned for me mentally."

"Man, we could have been separated at birth" Adam said with a laugh. "I've done some pretty crazy things myself" he said, and then for the next ten minutes they swapped stories of all the wild stuff they'd done on the job. Eventually, Greg's pager beeped.

"Shoot, that's the boss" he said regrettably. "He wants me to take a look at a Breaking and entering, I better go. Here…" he said typing something and then clicking send. "My email address"

"Hey thanks, it's been awesome talking to you" Adam said with grin "I'll keep in touch, and who knows, maybe we'll get the chance to work together someday"

"Sure I'd like that, you know if you ever need a DNA guy for anything just get in touch" Greg said with smile "Bye Adam"

"Bye Greg, good luck with your case" Adam said with a salute which Greg returned before closing his laptop.

"Who were you talking to?" Nick said entering the room after seeing the younger man on the web cam "a hot girl?" Greg rolled his eyes; he and Adam sure had _a lot_ in common.

"No, just a new friend" Greg said with a smile before following Nick out the room.

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**So did I write Adam ok? I hope so he and Danny are just as good together and Nick and Greg I think :) Anyway let me know!**

**The date with Greg and Morgan is coming next, cross my heart! **

**Thoughts and Prompts :) xx **


	16. First Date

**A/N: Hello! So this has been a long time coming but I finally did it as requested, Greg and Morgan's first date! This is a carry on from 'What if…' but it can be read alone, I really hope you enjoy because this is one of my favourite ships so I wanted it to be good XD**

**Summary – Greg and Morgan go on their first date, Morgan just hopes it'll go well.**

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**First Date**

Morgan Brody was nervous. Why, she wasn't sure. This was Greg after all, _Greg_; there was nothing scary about the sweet and caring man. But then maybe that's was why she was nervous, because he was so perfect in her eyes and she wanted everything to go well.

Morgan, like most typical girls, had tried on at least 10 different dresses before she opted for a classy LBD number, _you can never fail with a little black dress_ she thought, and she was now putting the finishing touches on her makeup and having a last minute freak out about her hair. She didn't know why it bothered her so much, Greg wasn't shallow at all, Morgan could have turned up in her Sunday sweats and he'd have still told her how pretty she was.

The first date was always the most important, and since it had been Morgan's idea she had booked the restaurant and sorted the taxi, no matter how much Greg insisted that was the man's job. Greg was coming round to Morgan's apartment first and then they would get the taxi together. The blond CSI was just finishing her lip gloss when there was a knock at the door.

She nearly squealed with excitement, not getting this excited about a date since high school. Morgan had always fallen for the jocks at high school, and they were all idiots, Greg was totally different. He was smart, funny and not at all possessive like most of her exes were, although he was protective, but he was of all his friends just as Morgan was.

She went to the door, brushed her dress down for good measure and then opened the door with a beaming smile. Greg Sanders beamed back. "You look incredible" was the first words out of his mouth and Morgan blushed.

"Well you always were suits around the lab but you still look dashing" she said with a wink.

Greg bowed "Well thy carriage awaits my lady" he said in a reasonably formed British accent "and I know roses are the conventional gift, but that's too cliché and tacky for you so I bought this instead" He handed over a CD.

"Red Hot Chili Peppers!" Morgan exclaimed looking at the album of her favourite band "I can't believe you remembered" she said, thinking back to when she and Greg had had their mock fight about whether LA or Vegas was better.

"Hey I always remember the important stuff…just sometimes not where I've put evidence" he said with his trademark cheeky grin and Morgan laughed. "Anyway, allow me to escort you" he said holding out his hand.

Morgan grinned as she took it, it felt right, she and Greg holding hands, like they'd been together for a long time. "If my dad could see us now…" Morgan couldn't help but think as they walked down to the taxi.

"Then I would convince him I was a suitable match for his daughter and that I care about you" he said with a gentle smile and Morgan squeezed his hand in happiness " … and you know maybe say I see were you get your good looks from, just for good measure." He added and Morgan laughed.

"I'm not sure if that's actually an insult to me or not" she joked.

The taxi ride went quickly as the two CSI's shared in some mild chatter, but they both agreed that any talk of work was strictly off the table for the night. "You know what, let's just pretend we don't know each other, we're not friends, we don't work together, and we'll start a fresh." Greg suggested.

"Ok sounds fun" Morgan agreed. She stuck out her hand "Hey, my names Morgan, Morgan Brody"

"Greg Sanders" he replied and they shook hands. "So where are you from Mia, sorry, Morgan"

The blond laughed "That's ok, well I'm originally from LA, but I moved to Vegas about six months ago to work at the crime lab"

"Oh, I'm form Cali too, I was a bit of a surfer dude" Greg said with a confident nod "but you said you worked at the crime lab? Same here!" he said doing very well to act surprised "what are the chances! What do you do there?"

"I'm a CSI. My team is pretty great, and there's this one guy Nick Stokes who…" Morgan began to tease.

"Oh I've heard of that guy, but he doesn't sound anywhere _near _as hot as that other guy you work with, Craig is it?"

Morgan laughed "Yeah he's pretty great too"

The taxi stopped outside the little Italian restaurant and Greg got out first to open the door for Morgan. They linked arms as they walked to the restaurant. After they were shown to a table and ordered wine, the two just sat smiling at each other for a few moments. Neither could quite believe that this was finally happening.

They had both felt something for each other from the start, but had always been too afraid to act on it. Everyone had heard these stories about how when friends started dating, it always took a turn for the worst, but Greg and Morgan both desperately wanted to make this work.

"So what are your hobbies?" Greg asked after the waiter had brought the wine.

"Well I love music concerts, Red Hot Chili Peppers are my favourite band. I love baseball, support the Dodgers…." Greg cringed "Oh come on" Morgan said in mock outrage "Don't tell me you're an Angels fan"

"Err… I might be" Greg shrugged and Morgan rolled her eyes "So I see this isn't going to work out?" he joked.

"Nah, I'll let it slide, but only because I like you so much" Morgan was stunned by her words. That was the first time she'd ever told Greg out right that she liked him, and meant it as more than a friend.

"Thanks, I like you a lot too" he said with a gentle smile.

Throughout the meal that talked about nothing in particular but nothing much needed to be said, because just being in each other's presence was enough. Normally they were working together, stressing out at some disgusting crime scene, but now they were genuinely enjoying just the company and conversation. It was relaxed, and they could talk properly for what felt like the first time in ages.

After a delicious meal, Greg insisted on paying. _Like a true gentleman_ Morgan thought with a proud grin. As they waited for the Taxi, Morgan began to shiver a little from the cold, so Greg immediately took off his jacket and wrapped it round Morgan's shoulders and hugged her close. Morgan closed her eyes and smiled as she rested her head on Greg's chest. It was perfect.

They got the taxi back to Morgan's first, and Greg insisted on walking her to the door. She would have liked to invited him in for a coffee, but they actually had work in a mere matter of hours.

"Thanks for an amazing night Greg, I had great time" Morgan said looking into his deep brown eyes; Greg stared back into her crystal blue.

"I had a great time too, with a great girl, I can't wait until we do this again" he said genuinely. Morgan smiled excitedly, there _was_ going to be a next time.

"Me too… well I'll see you later" _this is it_ Morgan thought, this was the moment she'd been waiting for and almost dreading. Did she go for the kiss or not?

But there was no need to worry. Greg made the choice for her, passionately pressing his lips onto hers. And again, it felt right.

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**So what do ya think? I hope it's not too cheesy for you XD I really like Greg and Morgan as a couple and so might do more stories where they are one, I already have a little Idea for the next :) **

**New CSI tonight UK, Can't wait!**

**Reviews and Prompts are welcomed :) xx **


	17. Guns Aren't Great

**A/N: What? Two stories in two days, have I gone mad?! The truth is I've always been mad :3 Ok so the Idea for this came after watching the pilot of season 13. It was made clear Russell wasn't much of a gun person and I thought, well, neither is Greg, so I thought that could be a good basis for a story for some Greg and Russell friendship / bonding. So I hope you like :) **

**Summary – When Greg and Russell go to investigate a noise at a crime scene, Greg must face his worry about guns and Russell helps him through.**

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**Guns Aren't Great  
**

"What was that?" Russell said his eyes frantically scanning the ceiling as he followed the sound. He and Greg had been investigating the death of a young woman at her house for about forty minutes now.

"I don't know, but we probably should find out" Greg said slowly standing up from the body, he too focusing on the ceiling.

"No, we should wait for the cops" Russell said sternly as he called in for back up, they were told cops were at least twenty minutes away.

"But they could have escaped by then!" Greg protested.

Russell shushed him to indicate he needed to keep his voice down. Sara had warned him about Greg's severe need to protect civilians, and how the younger man was not one to stand around when someone was in danger and he could have done something to prevent it, the Stanley Tanner incident being the pinnacle.

"Well, we don't have any protection" Russell pointed out.

Greg raised an eyebrow and pulled the right side of his jacket back slightly to reveal an unexpected sight. "Well I guess we're lucky today was the one day I actually packed up" he said removing the standard issue gun from his holster.

Russell was shocked to say the least. Greg was very mild mannered and Sara and Nick had told the supervisor no matter how much they tried, nothing would normally persuade Greg to carry his gun.

"Nick would be proud" Russell said raising an eyebrow.

"No, because you're not going to tell him" Greg said with a slightly pleading look. "Now, let's go check it out" he said placing a new magazine in the weapon and waiting for the satisfying click. "Stay close to me, ok?" Greg instructed his supervisor. It was strange for him to do so, but right now he wasn't seeing Russell as his boss, but a friend he needed to protect.

"What? You're not going to play hero? Tell me to stay here and hide?" Russell joked, although he was touched by Greg's concern for him.

"No, I never understand why people say that" Greg said with an incredulous look "I mean I'm the one with the gun, the defence. So you should stay with me, not just stay behind unprotected, that's just stupid"

Russell was kind of shocked by Greg's logic, but it did make sense. He also got the feeling the kid was just rambling a little because he was nervous, or perhaps even a bit scared. They could still hear the faint banging of the floorboards as someone paced around above them.

"Greg we don't have to…" Russell started.

"Yes. We do." Greg interrupted. He took out his torch in his right hand and then crossed it underneath he left which was holding the gun, just as he had seen so many of his teammates do over the years. He started to slowly walk out the room, Russell following him. "Just so we're clear and you don't sue me later, I've never actually fired a gun unless it was at the shooting range" Greg whispered as they creep up the stairs.

"Well, I haven't had to fire my gun out in the field for over ten years, I haven't even been carrying it for the past few" Russell replied.

"So basically, we're screwed" Greg said with an incredulous look.

"Basically" Russell agreed as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Stay behind me ok?" Greg whispered and then put a finger to his lips and jerked a thumb towards the room the noise was coming from.

Russell nodded but something felt wrong. He was supervisor; he should be protecting Greg shouldn't he? His colleague…his friend… He knew if anything were to happen to Greg the others would never forgive him_, especially_ Nick and Sara.

"Greg wait" Russell hissed grabbing Greg's arm, the younger man turned around "give me the gun, I'll go"

"No, I have to do this" Greg said with a hint of sadness "You don't get to be a CSI for your whole working life and not have to point a gun at someone. I need to do this, and prove to myself more than anyone I can handle these situations."

Russell sighed, he wished he could convince the young man otherwise but in the short time he'd known Greg he knew once the kid had his mind set on something, he wouldn't give up. "Ok" the older man conceded, and they continued to creep forward.

They stopped outside what they assumed was the bedroom doorway and stood either side of the frame. Russell knocked on the door.

"LVPD, if there's anyone in there open up or we'll be forced to come in" Greg said with upmost confidence, Russell couldn't help but smile proudly.

"Well, they asked for it" Russell whispered as he reached for the door handle, Greg stepped back, his gun raised.

Russell pushed the door wide open and Greg stealthily entered the room. A man no older than twenty was trying to climb out the window.

"Stop!" Greg called as Russell entered behind him, ready to jump to Greg's aid "get down and put your hands behind your head"

The man did not reply just reached for his pocket and pulled out a gun of his own. Greg's eyes went wide. Russell got ready to step in.

"Sir, put the gun down, get down from the window and we'll talk. That's all we want" Greg said, his confidence not wavering much at all. Russell decided to stay quiet and let Greg handle the situation, it was what the younger man wanted and he was doing a good job.

"I didn't mean to" the man yelled with tears streaming down his face "I never meant to hurt her, I loved her!" he started to raise the gun with a shaky hand.

"Sir…" Greg warned. Russell put a hand on the younger man's shoulder ready to pull him out of harm's way.

"I'm sorry Roxy" the man whispered "I'm sorry!" he yelled and with that he raised the gun to his head and shot himself in the temple.

"No!" Russell cried and Greg jumped in surprise.

The supervisor ran forward but the young man had already fallen out the window. Russell grabbed the edge and looked down breathing heavily. The young man's still corpse lay sprawled out on the lawn. He turned back to Greg who still looked utterly shocked, and he had not yet lowered his gun. Russell walked over to him and tried to take the gun, but Greg's grip only tightened and the older man could see his hands shaking a little.

"Hey" Russell said gently "Hey Greg its ok, let go now" he said encouragingly. Greg let his grip loosen and Russell took the gun. "You ok?" he asked placing a tender hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"Yeah" Greg said quietly, finally taking his eyes away from the window and looking at Russell "Yeah I'm fine."

Russell sighed "I'm sorry Greg, but you can't save everyone you know" Greg nodded. "But hey, you handled the initial response well and you stayed calm and professional. You did a good kid and I'm proud of you." he said with a smile.

Greg smiled back "Thanks Russell"

Russell patted him on the back and then put an arm around Greg's shoulder, guiding him from the room. "Come on, you look like you need a break, I'll get Finn to come and finish here" he said.

Russell was truly proud of the young man, just like he was with his son. He hoped that Greg could now look to him more like a fatherly figure rather than a boss, because he would be proud to have the younger man as a surrogate son.

* * *

**So basically I really liked writing this one, I really love Greg and Russell's interactions on the show. Obviously I love Greg's character and Russell is just ace XD so I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing :)**

**Reviews and prompts help the inspiration flow ;) xx **


	18. Superpowers

**A/N: Hey peeps, a bit of fun and humour for you now as I've focused mainly on the angst and romance so far, so I hope this little story makes you feel good ;) I got this idea as I've recently read loads of stories for some challenge about the CSI's getting superpowers? I have to say they were pretty awesome XD Enjoy! **

**Summary – During some down time at the lab, Henry and Hodges match their friends up to their suited superpowers.**

* * *

**Superpowers **

Henry and Hodges were sat in the break room during some down time at the lab. For once, it what seemed like forever, they were having a slow crime day and had some time to kill (ironic huh?). The CSI's were at their desks catching up on paperwork, leaving the lab techs with little to do.

"If you had a super power, what would it be?" Henry asked with a thoughtful look as he sat down with his coffee.

Hodges was not at all stumped by the younger man's random questioning "Super strength" the trace tech replied almost instantly "You know…not that I think about it a lot…."

"Really?" Henry said wrinkling his nose. "No I don't think that would suit you" he said shaking his head and Hodges looked deeply offended. "Nick would be super strength"

Hodges considered this for a moment "Yeah I can see that, he does have the Clark Kent look about him."

"Not to mention his biceps" Henry blurted out.

Hodges gave him an unimpressed look "Don't be weird Henry"

"Sorry" the younger man blushed "So what would Grissom have do you think?" he asked trying to move on.

"Well… he's kind of like Professor Xavier and we're his X-men!" Hodges said excitedly "So I guess he'd be able to read minds and stuff… a telepath."

"Mmm that makes sense, he's all about knowledge. Although I don't know how I'd feel about Grissom being able to see my thoughts" Henry said subconsciously raising a hand to his head.

"How about Catherine?" Hodges pondered; the matching up of people to their powers was actually kind of fun.

"Hmm, I think she'd have force fields" Henry decided "because she's very protective. Then she'd have to have invisibility too because they always go together."

"Yeah that's a good fit" Hodges said "but I find it hard to imagine Catherine sneaking up on people" he didn't see Henry's growing smile.

"Boo!" a female voice said and hand grabbed hold of Hodges' shoulder, the trace tech nearly fell off his chair in surprise and Henry burst out laughing. "Thought disproved" Catherine said with a laugh as she went to pick up a coffee and then headed back to her office.

"Ok…" Hodges said shaking his head to regain focus "Catherine has invisibility and force fields. Thanks for the warning, by the way" he added sarcastically and Henry just shrugged.

"You should have seen the look on your face" the Tox tech said with a grin.

"Alright, alright" Hodges said with a roll of his eyes. "Ok, so Warrick should be invincible. That's a given."

"Yeah he's really tough" Henry agreed "I can't believe he was a geek in high school. He looks like one of the guys who'd force me to do their homework at _my_ school."

"Same here" Hodges said with a sigh "but that's the cool thing about Warrick, he's got an equal balance of book smarts and street smarts. I bet he'd be good in a fight, so yeah he'd be invincible."

"How about Sara?" Henry said. He too was quite enjoying the game. "Oh I know! Pyrokinesis" he said with a happy smile. "Being able to create and manipulate fire" he elaborated when Hodges gave him a confused look.

"Ah because of her fiery, feisty nature" Hodges said and Henry nodded "That's a good one, although I already don't like to get on the wrong side of Sara, so if she could shoot fire… well that would be more than just bad."

Henry nodded in agreement "It already feels like she can sometimes. I like her a lot but… she's kind of intimidating sometimes."

"Oh man up Henry"

"But you just said..!"

"Greg" Hodges said resting his chin in his hand "What would Greg have?"

"Easy, super speed" Henry said with a grin "Just because he's so hyper and active, and he appears out of nowhere!"

"Yeah I could see that, he's just so eager. You should have seen him when he was a lab tech" Hodges added "But someone how Greg annoying me at one hundred times the speed he normally does is not very appealing."

Henry laughed "No I think Greg's a pretty awesome guy"

Just then the two were interrupted by Archie getting himself a cup of coffee "What are you two losers up to?" the AV tech asked as he waited for the pot to boil.

"Matching people up to their superpowers" Henry told him.

"Oh, and what do you guys have?" Archie asked curiously.

"Well I'd be a teleporter" Henry said with a smug grin "Because as lab rats we need to deliver results quick and locate CSI's fast… plus I just think it's awesome"

"Fair enough" Archie said "How about you?" he asked Hodges.

"Well… I guess the idea of walking through walls is pretty cool. Again I'd get places quicker… and I could freak people out, like a ghost" he said with an evil grin.

"How about you Arch?" Henry enquired.

"As If you even have to ask" he said with a role of his eyes "Technopathy" Hodges and Henry looked at him blankly. "Manipulating machines" he said as if it were obvious.

"But you do that already" Henry pointed out.

Archie laughed "No this would be at beyond human level, just think of it as talking to machines and them responding instantly."

"Well I think we'd make a pretty good team of supers" Hodges said smugly.

"Yeah!" Henry agreed "Better than the Avengers and the Justice League put together."

Archie's pager beeped "Looks like playtime is over guys. That's the bat signal. We got some_ real_ bad guys to catch"

"Alright, Lab techs away!" Henry exclaimed and Archie and Hodges laughed.

They may not have real superpowers, but fighting for justice of those who'd lost possessions and lives was super hero enough.

* * *

**Hehe I liked writing this one, as you can tell I took each power into deep consideration XD do you agree? In fact tell me what your super power would be! I'm interested to know :) Also I love Henry and Hodges' friendship, its great!**

**Reviews and Prompts :) xx **


	19. Part 1: Scars

**A/N: So 'Wild Flower' was aired in the UK just moments ago. How incredible was Morgan in that episode?! So much feels :'( I loved the part where she and Greg entered the footage, which was really clever. And the scene with Hodges, Nick and the burger, hilarious XD**

**Anyway enough rambling, another story Yey! This is a two parter I think and this is the first part. The aftermath of PwF just wasn't enough for me, so here is Greg still coping with it years later. I hope the beginning isn't too weird: P**

**Summary – Morgan is worried when Greg acts strangely and so asks Nick to investigate. What Nick didn't expect to find, was the scars. Spoilers from 'Playing with Fire'**

* * *

**Scars **

"Morgan no" Greg jumped a little as she went to unbutton his shirt. The blond looked at him questionably.

"Why not?" She asked. Did he not feel the same way that she did? Was she being to presumptuous? Moving too fast?

"I… not now ok" Greg said grabbing hold of Morgan's hands and stepping away "I promise it's not you… as cliché as it sounds. We'll get Breakfast later though yeah?" he asked hopefully, he really didn't want to offend her.

"Oh erm yeah, sure" Morgan said with a bright smile to let him know she was ok. "I better go get ready for work anyway" she said. They shared a passionate kiss on the lips before the blond left Greg's apartment.

The pair of CSI's had been dating for three weeks now and… well it bothered Morgan Greg didn't seem to want to get too close to her. Something was up, and Morgan's CSI instincts were going into overload as to find out what. It wasn't to do with the physical contact… they'd shared some pretty amazing kisses, so it must be something else.

A couple of hours later and Morgan was at the lab, it was Greg's night off so she thought it the perfect time to try and do some investigating, after her real work of course. She was on duty with Nick, Russell and Finn. The two supervisors were already out at a case in Henderson, leaving Nick and Morgan on lab duty for the time being.

Since they had nothing to do at the moment, Morgan and Nick decided to go grab a coffee and chat for a while. Nick was definitely not expecting the topic of conversation.

"Nick…" Morgan started cautiously licking her lips, the older CSI smiled at her. "This is going to sound really weird but…has Greg… has Greg ever taken his shirt off in front of you?" she asked remembering his earlier reaction.

Nick nearly spit out his coffee "Excuse me?"

"Nothing, forget it" Morgan said shaking her head and resting her chin in her palm "It's just… something made me worry about him is all."

Nick's look went from sceptical to concern. He didn't like the thought of Greg hiding something, and if it was upsetting Morgan than it must be bad.

"You know, now that you mention it I don't think he has." Nick said thinking of all the times he and Warrick had changed shirts in the locker room after a hot or sticky crime scene, but Greg never did. He always insisted that he was ok. "Do you think there's something wrong with him?"

"I don't know… maybe" Morgan said with a pondering glance "but then again maybe I'm just worrying about nothing."

"Do you want me to talk to him?" Nick suggested "I don't like the thought of something being wrong with him. Maybe he'll open up man to man" _Brother to brother_ he thought.

"Would you?" Morgan perked up a little "that would be good. I just want to make sure he's ok. Let him know that he can trust me and tell me anything."

"Yeah, in fact I'll go see him now since we're not busy. Just page me if anything comes up?" he requested.

"Sure" Morgan replied with a smile, and the male CSI left.

* * *

Nick arrived at Greg's apartment and the younger man opened the door with a smile "Hey man, what are you doing here?" Greg asked as he let his friend in.

"Well we're having some down time and…. Well Morgan's worried about something and now so am I"

"Oh" Greg said with a frown. What could Morgan have possibly told Nick? She wasn't one to gossip after all. "Coffee?" Greg asked quickly changing the subject and walking to the kitchen.

"Sure" Nick replied and followed him.

He stood back and watched the younger man start to prepare the drinks, he seemed a little shaken. Just as he reached to get the coffee canister off the top shelf, the back of Greg's shirt rode up and Nick saw what Greg had been so upset about. The older man was shocked.

"Greg" Nick breathed.

"What?" he asked still reaching for the coffee, but then he felt the slight breeze on his back and he realised. The younger man gasped as he released the canister, coffee granules spraying everywhere, he dropped down and pulled his shirt down as far as it would go. He turned back to Nick who still looked shocked. "Don't look at me like that!" Greg exclaimed "Please… don't look at me like that" he said quietly that time and tears began to fall.

"Hey" Nick said floating forward and bringing Greg into his arms, the young man sobbed. "Why didn't you say anything?" Nick asked feeling upset too. Not only did he feel hurt Greg couldn't trust him with such a thing, but also that the young man had to carry the burden for so long.

"I couldn't let Catherine find out" he mumbled into Nick's shoulder "she was already beating herself up about it, I couldn't let her know."

_The explosion_ Nick thought, he'd realised that from the start. Big white scars had been formed on Greg's back from where his skin had been burnt. Pink and wrinkled parts where his skin had to have been grafted back together. The effects of the explosion had affected the poor young man far worse than any of them had known.

"You should have said something. You shouldn't have had to cope with this alone" Nick said, he was upset with himself for not realising and not being there for his friend and little brother. How had Greg managed to keep this hidden for 10 years? "I'm so sorry Greg."

"Thanks" Greg said sniffing and pulling away. He wiped his eyes and then leant back on the counter. Nick stayed stood in front with his arms folded. "When they told me… it was permanent… and that they had to try and _rebuild_ my back… well that's not something you want to hear when you're only in your early twenties. Or ever for that matter"

"I can't imagine…" Nick started, but stopped at the horrible thought.

"I know it seems pathetic…." Greg started, Nick shook his head "I mean it's my back, no one can see… but I still know they're there and that's enough to upset me" the young man gave a shuddery sigh "I'm a monster Nick" Greg said looking his friend in the eyes. "I feel like a monster."

"Greggo that is _not _true" Nick said firmly. He too was now close to tears as he found out what his friend truly thought of himself, and it was heart breaking. He walked forward and put his hands on Greg's arms "Don't you dare think that. Your scars do not decide who you are" Nick told him sternly. "We won't treat you any different, and Morgan, she definitely won't. She's really worried about you."

Greg nodded "I know and I feel awful. I'll tell her. Thanks Nick" he said with a sincere smile

"You're welcome buddy" Nick grinned.

* * *

**So should I do a second part with Greg telling Morgan? I think so, but it's up to you whether you liked this part. Wasn't too weird right? :P I love writing these with Greg and Morgan as a couple but after tonight's episode… I'm thinking Morgan and Hodges would be good together? **

**Anywho reviews n' stuff :3 xx**


	20. Part 2: Scared

**A/N: Heyy peeps, thank you so much for the reviews on the last story, I'm glad you didn't find it too weird XD by the way UK how INCREDIBLE was Greg in this week's episode, I felt sooo bad for him but I loved it so much! Anyways, this is the second part to the last story and I hope you enjoy :) Also, my twentieth story, woo hoo!  
**

**Summary – Greg tells Morgan about his scars. Greg/Morgan (Branders?)**

* * *

**Scared **

As soon as Nick left, Greg picked up the phone to call Morgan. It was best his girlfriend heard this from him and not Nick. _Morgan will understand, won't she?_ Greg thought as he anxiously walked up and down with the phone and bit his nails to try and distract him. _She wouldn't get scared, would she? _Greg hoped not because the thought of losing Morgan was…unbearable. They may have only been officially dating three weeks but Greg…dare he say it… loved her more than he'd ever loved anyone. He just hoped the feeling was mutual.

"Hello?" said the sweet and chirpy voice that always made Greg's heart beat faster and made him feel more at ease. He relaxed just a little.

"H-hey Morgan" Greg said sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. He was starting to think he shouldn't do this over the phone. This was something the young woman needed to see.

"Oh hey sweetie" Morgan replied, the tone in her voice suggesting she'd perked up a little.

Nick had not gotten back to the lab yet and so Morgan hadn't had chance to talk to him. Ever since Greg's strange reaction she'd been worrying about him seamlessly and found herself doing any jobs around the lab to keep herself occupied, so as not to think about it.

"Could you…could you come over after shift?" Greg asked quickly "There's something I…I need to tell you…or rather show you"

"Sure no problem" Morgan replied, but Greg could tell there was an under layer of concern in her voice. Greg felt really guilty; he hated making the caring woman feel that way.

"Morgan…I'm ok you know" he said reassuringly. "And I always will be, as long as I have you" he said trying hard to not let his voice wobble as he fought to bite back his tears. He was so scared that after revealing his scars, she would leave him just as so many girls had before.

Morgan's heart melted, she couldn't believe how perfect her boyfriend truly was "Good I'm glad, and don't worry, I'm not going anywhere" she said as if she had almost heard Greg's fears.

* * *

A few hours later and Morgan was nervously making her way over to Greg's apartment. After they both got call outs, she hadn't had the time to talk to Nick and see what he had discovered, but by the sounds of it this was going to be hard for Greg and he wanted to tell her himself. Morgan swore to be supportive, understanding, no matter what Greg had to say. Greg was the sweetest guy she had ever known and he treated her like none of her previous boyfriends had. Ever since she had met Greg, the blond had known she'd been slowly but surely falling in love with the sandy haired man.

She parked outside Greg's apartment block and quickly made her way to his door. When Greg answered he looked a little pale, unwell even, like he was scared of something.

"Greg what's wrong?" she asked with deep concern as the older man pulled her gently inside.

Greg led them over to the couch and sat looking at Morgan, with both her hands firmly gripped in his as if he feared she may disappear.

"Morgan I…I have never felt so strongly about someone as I have you. You mean the world to me, the one bit of happiness I've been waiting for this whole time." Greg said looking into her crystal blue eyes, they were sparkling from tears. "That's why this is the hardest time I've had to do this"

"Oh God" Morgan said clapping a hand over her mouth. She feared the worst. _He's breaking up with me. _

"About ten years ago now, when I worked in DNA…" Greg started cautiously. Morgan seemed to ease a little. That was not she was expecting. "There was an accident. Catherine put an unknown substance near a hotplate she didn't know was turned on. It was in my lab and…it exploded with me stood just inches away. I was sent flying through the glass wall"

"What?!" Morgan exclaimed in horror and shock "Oh My God Greg" she said pulling him tightly towards her into a hug "Why didn't you tell me!?" she couldn't bear the thought, the thought of the man she cared about so much being so scared and hurt.

"It's not exactly my favourite subject" Greg mumbled. "But listen…this is important" he said pulling away again, Morgan looked scared beyond belief and they hadn't even known each other back then. That was one of the reasons Greg loved her, because Morgan was always concerned. "I went to hospital with severe burn injuries to my back and…" Greg choked up a little "Th-they had to graft some of my sk-skin back together and now I have these…_disgusting_ scars and wrinkled patches on my back." He sniffed as some tears dropped "and they're never going to go away."

Morgan's eyes went wide. Now she understood. She too let tears slip as the realisation hit her. Greg, so scared of scaring_ her_ with these scars. These scars he had to carry for the rest of his life, she couldn't even begin to imagine what that was like.

"You should…" Greg said coughing slightly and feeling really awkward "You should…erm…see them" he turned his back to her and slowly started to pull up the back of his shirt with shaky hands.

As more scars and distorted skin was revealed, Morgan grew more and more upset. Not because of the scars, but because of the pain they were causing Greg.

Greg cringed and squeezed his eyes shut, lowering his head to the side. "So many girls I've cared about have left because of this, because it freaked them out. Then again luckily some of them were too drunk to notice" he added with a humourless laugh. He wanted to know what Morgan was thinking, was she scared? Outraged? Disgusted? "I understand if you want to leave too…" Greg said lowering his shirt again "I'm a freak after all…I feel like a freak" he sobbed turning back to look at Morgan "Morgan please, please don't be scared of me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I didn't want to scare you away."

Then, Much to Greg's surprise, Morgan lunged forward and passionately kissed him, placing a hand behind his head and pushing his lips onto hers. Greg had never felt so much relief in his life. "I don't care." Morgan said momentarily pulling away "I don't care about the scars Greg, I love you" Greg was thunderstruck, this was not the reaction he'd been expecting "I can't believe you'd ever think I'd be scared of you, you're the sweetest guy there is. As for leaving you over something like that…well not now not ever" she rested her forehead on his "you will always be handsome to me, no matter what. You are so brave, you are not, repeat _not_ a freak and don't you dare think that ever again" she said with tears in her eyes, that had been the most upsetting part.

"Thank you" Greg said smiling and almost laughing in relief "thank you so much. I knew you would understand, you're too kind not too"

"It's ok sweetie. And besides, they kind of make you look dangerous" she said tracing a finger along his chest "and that's pretty hot"

Greg laughed and they kissed again, Greg had never felt more comfortable with a woman than he did now, but then he remembered something. Pulling away he looked once more into Morgan's deep blue eyes and saw the woman he wanted to always be close to.

"By the way… I love you too" he said with more meaning than he had ever before. Morgan grinned.

Scars were in the past, but Greg and Morgan were each other's present and undoubtedly each other's future.

* * *

**So basically I hope this was ok. I really wanted it to be sweet and not creepy XD anyway I love Morgan and Greg as a couple! Don't you!? ;)**

**Reviews and Prompts make the flowers grew ^_^ (whatever that means) **


	21. Angry

**A/N: Hey guys! So this is what I hope will be a super angsty piece. I hope Greg doesn't appear too OOC but this has been on my mind for a little while. So I know a while ago I talked about the times Greg had been angry and I thought maybe some close analysis of those times was needed so, I hope this look into Greg's thoughts is a moving one.**

**Warning: contains minor spoilers from a bunch of episodes, but none from the latest season. **

**Summary – Greg takes a look at how he's changed over the years and worries about how much his level of aggression seems to have increased.**

* * *

**Angry **

Greg Sanders was angry, mad, pissed and every other synonym under the sun as he left the un-communicating suspect. He was so pissed it scared him.

The CSI had first realised his anger was getting worse when he snapped at Catherine and Nick for trying to send him to that God forsaken crime scene in the middle of nowhere, even though Ray was the trainee at the time. The ex-lab tech felt guilty after of course, Catherine and Nick were his superiors and he'd had no right to talk to them like that. But he had felt it was about God damn time they realised he was just that, an _ex-_ lab tech and he felt he deserved more respect and his opinions should be more valid, if not because of professional status then because he was their friend.

He wanted to prove that he had earned the right by then to work the big cases, but he soon realised Catherine was only trying to give him the independence he'd so desperately wanted, even if it was a crap case. Greg wondered when he had become so demanding; working in the DNA lab he was so use to being the one _demanded_. When he'd first decided to be a CSI Greg had had very little self-esteem and failing his first test by making such a stupid mistake didn't help matters. At that point he'd felt the lowest of the low, felt like quitting in fact, but then Grissom had given him a second chance, and all the others had done was mentor him and give great advice. At the time it had felt like babysitting, but now he realised he'd only just thrown Nick and Catherine's help back in their face. _Am I getting too full of myself?_ The CSI would often wonder now a day.

He didn't want that to happen, that's not who he was. Greg was mellow, calm; he didn't even lose his temper with suspects how could he even think about losing it with his friends? He couldn't thank them enough for all the support they gave him when he decided to be a CSI and how much encouragement they'd given him ever since. Greg was the most grateful person in the world for that; they were his family… so why had he suddenly cracked? What was it that had pushed him so far that he finally argued with Catherine and Nick like that, both of whom, he might add, could be rather intimidating in a fight.

Greg's role had always been peacemaker, between Sara and Catherine when they clashed heads, Warrick and Nick when they were arguing over cases. Why was he suddenly the one to start the battle?

The second time Greg displayed a physical act of aggression, was when he had stopped those two suspects in the crematorium by hitting them with the plank of wood. At first the stunned look on Nick's face after he did so had amused him, but he soon realised this was a look of shock as it was never expected for Greg to do such a thing. He also wondered if it had worried Nick a little to see him act that way. Maybe Nick feared the old Greg was gone, the man himself feared that also. He just had to look at his flattened hair in the mirror every morning to see that.

Physical aggression was not Greg's style. If it was then he would have fought back when that gang of punks was beating the crap out of him. But he didn't, he let it happen. And he had killed Demetrius James with his car…but it was an accident and he did it because he was scared, not because he was angry. But he had been scared the time with the plank of wood too. He was worried about Nick and the detective they were with after he heard the crash from the other room.

_If those jerks have hurt them_…. he remembered thinking as he subconsciously grabbed the wood _there will be hell to pay_. He may not carry a gun, but he didn't need one, Greg had seen enough mayhem in his career to know_ anything _can be a weapon.

He remembered hearing the two suspect's running back towards him. "Oh know you don't" he remembered whispering to himself as he aggressively swung the plank of wood round and knocking the pair to the floor. It made him feel sick now; the slight feeling of thrill the action had given him. Hurting someone… it wasn't supposed to feel that way. He was supposed to regret it. He did now, but not then. Maybe he'd just taken enough shit from enough suspects to not even care anymore.

And again the look of awe on Nick's face when he came running. _Probably thought he'd have to save my ass again _Greg remembered thinking _Well this proved him wrong._ That was wrong of him too, he shouldn't be thinking of Nick's protection in a spiteful way, or that fact he felt he constantly needed to prove himself…that shouldn't_ still_ be important after 3 years of being a level 3 CSI. But it still was. And well, being Mister nice guy hadn't been working, so may be Mr Hard ass would.

Greg desperately wanted an explanation for this behaviour. Maybe it was because after Sara left he felt alone and without a best friend. Maybe it was because after Warrick died, Nick wouldn't even talk to him and Warrick had been killed by someone the team were supposed to be able to trust. Maybe it was because after Grissom left, Greg was without a mentor. Maybe it was because after Riley left, Greg was once again without someone he was starting to have feelings for… And maybe all these maybes were just excuses and Greg was just starting to become a bad and angry person.

_I don't want that _Greg thought _I don't want to become mad all the time. I use to be so happy. I use to dance around the lab, I use to play air guitar and not give a damn who saw... but then things happened. _

Greg had to grow up a when he became a CSI. He had to tone himself down a lot. But he wasn't sure it was worth it because now, with the anger, he didn't like the person he was becoming, and it had progressively been getting worse, up until the point he had to be restrained and called that woman a bitch because she knew about Morgan's kidnapping. That was the worst. He'd been seething that day, he cared about Morgan a lot and…well he'd never lost it like that before, especially not to the extent he had to be _restrained,_ by _two _officers…

"Greg?" a quiet voice broke his thoughts. It was Sara, he turned round to see she and Nick stood in the doorway. The expressions on their faces were… somewhat terrified.

_Why are they looking at me like that?_ Greg thought rather agitated, but he soon realised.

He noticed how heavily he was breathing through his gritted teeth, his eyes were narrowed and his fists were tightly clenched. He stopped at the look on his friends faces and looked around the room. He went wide eyed in shock.

He wasn't sure when during his thought's he'd gone back to his office. But he saw that his chair had been kicked over and his books and papers swiped off the table, paper now all over the room. He saw how his coffee mug had been thrown against the wall and been smashed to pieces, and he saw how his mirror was also shattered and had drops of blood running from it. He slowly looked down at his bleeding fist. All destroyed in a stint of his own aggression… and he didn't' even notice.

He looked back to Nick and Sara. He was trembling all over, but not from anger anymore but from fear. Tears were welling in his eyes "I- I don't want to be this person" he stuttered as the tears finally began to fall "I d-don't like who I've become, please don't let me be this person" and he broke down into heart wrenching sobs.

Sara hurried over and hugged him tight and Nick placed a comforting hand on his back. "It's ok Greggo" the Texan soothed. "Sara and I, we've known you the longest, we know this isn't you."

"It's ok to get angry sometimes" Sara told him "This job has changed us all"

"But that's the very thing I feared" Greg whispered through the tears "What if it's changed me for the worst?"

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**So was it ok? I know the ending is a little ambiguous but I kind of wanted it to be that way. Also, I know I didn't choose some of the most obvious points when Greg got angry to talk about, but that's what I wanted because I wanted to look deeper into the minor details. Again I apologise for any OOCness **

**Haven't got many prompts in a while but keep them coming, I am getting to them I promise!**

**Reviews are also great :) x **


	22. Boring

**A/N: Hey guys! We haven't had a happy story in a while so I thought I'd have a go at humour. Thank you so much for the great feedback on the last story too! Tag's from a few episodes back in the past, mainly 01x15, but nothing major I hope. Anyways I hope this at least makes you smile, not sure how I came up with this XD**

**Summary – Greg gets nostalgic and fears he's become boring. After sharing a few stories with Morgan and Finn, he decides to re-enact a special performance from many years ago. (fluffy fluff)**

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**Boring **

Greg was having a bad day. As he watched Henry and Hodges joke around and laugh together in the DNA lab he started to have a great sense of nostalgia for his old lab. It wasn't like a lab to him back then; it was a home, his own little piece of land as he liked to think. He played his own music as loud as he wanted, worked whatever evidence in what order he wanted and made many a CSI smile when he handed over results. Back then he had grown board of the lab, felt like he was stuck, but now he looked back on it, he kind of missed the old girl. Sure the explosion had been pretty crappy, but he'd had plenty of good times too.

It was also the place he'd been caught doing many… unprofessional acts. Apparently practising his air guitar and drums and dancing around in a headdress, was not what Ecklie classed as productivity. But he used to be… fun, and now that Greg Sanders had been a CSI for almost 8 years, he feared he had become a boring workaholic, who didn't know how to make people laugh anymore. He felt like he hadn't done anything crazy in years and he wondered what had happened to his hyperactivity. Sure, he'd had to grow up a lot for this job, but he couldn't stand the thought of being…_boring._

"Immature is what boring people call fun people" he used to say whenever he was given disproval. It used to be like a motto of his. But now even he could thing to the odd occasion he'd snapped at Henry for being irresponsible and it made him feel like the biggest hypocrite in the world. He used to not give a damn what people thought to his antics, but now he felt forced to tone down and well… like he wasn't himself anymore. He accepted he had to grow up for the job, of course he did, but that didn't mean he had to stop being fun altogether right?

Eventually, Greg grew depressed watching the two lab techs in his old lab and went into the break room. Morgan and Finn were sat chatting and having coffee on their lunch break. Greg joined them at the table, sulkily plonking down onto a chair and placing his elbow on the table, propping his cheek in his fist.

"Aww, what's up mister grumpy face?" Morgan asked teasingly.

"Did they cut short your playtime?" Finn asked just as teasingly and women laughed.

Greg rolled his eyes "Jee guys, you really know how to make a friend feel better" he said sarcastically and placed a hand on his heart "Really, I'm touched"

"OK" Morgan said raising an eyebrow "Come on then out with it, what's really up?"

"It's just…well… answer me something truthfully ok?" Greg implored. He figured since Finn and Morgan had known him the least amount of time, they'd be able to give a more objective opinion.

"Sure, anything" Finn said with an encouraging smile.

"Do you… do you guys think I'm boring?" he asked with a sheepish look.

Morgan nearly laughed at the thought "Of course you're not boring!" she said reaching over and taking Greg's hand. The man smiled and a pink tint came to his cheeks which didn't go unnoticed by Finn.

"She's right" the older CSI said "Why would you even think that?"

"Yeah, you make us laugh all the time" Morgan sated.

"Thanks you guys" Greg said "but it's just… well if you'd known me ten years ago when I was a lab tech. You'd have thought I was a completely different person."

"Greg, are you having a midlife crisis?" Finn asked seriously.

"No!" Greg exclaimed feeling horrified at the thought "My God, how dare you!" he said in mock offence, it was obvious he was joking around. "Come on I'm still thirty…something" he mumbled. Morgan laughed; she thought he was being cute. "Besides I already made Nick promise he'd kill me before I turned forty, I ain't going through that"

"What?" Morgan continued to laugh, she was almost crying.

Finn was too "It's not that bad!"

"Whatever" Greg said with a roll of his eyes "the point is if you ask Nick and Sara what I was like in my twenties, it would be a whole different story"

"Well you just nearly made Morgan's sides split from laughter" Finn said with a smile as the youngest CSI was still snickering "So no, definitely not boring"

"So, if we _were_ to ask Nick and Sara about the stuff you used to do, what kind of thing would they tell us?" Morgan enquired after she'd controlled her laughter.

"Well… there was this one time were Catherine and my old supervisor walked in on my practicing some air drums, what made it worse was that I had a rubber glove on my head and some fangs painted on a mask over my face." Greg explained. Both women burst out laughing at the thought. Greg smiled. "I think they seriously worried for my mental health"

"They had every right to by the sounds of it" Finn said through her laughter.

"What else, what else?" Morgan begged for more stories.

"Well… Catherine once had this case with a dead burlesque dancer, so she brought in this headdress for me to get some hair for DNA comparison. Anyways I got the DNA and I got a little bored of waitng for her to pick up the results so I… tried on the headdress, turned on some music and started dancing around in it"

"Are you serious?" Morgan asked in awe.

"Completely! And what made it worse? Not only did Catherine catch me but Grissom was stood right behind me!"

"Oh, awkward" Finn said as she and Morgan once again burst out laughing. This time Greg started laughing too at the thought of how insane he used to be.

"Boy, would I have_ loved_ to have seen that!" Morgan giggled.

All of a sudden Greg's face grew thoughtful. He wasn't going to give up being crazy, not yet. "You know what, growing up totally sucks!" he said prodding a finger on the table. "Morgan you wanna see that dance? It went a little something like this…" and with that, Greg climbed up onto the table top much to the surprise of the female CSI's.

"Woo, Go Greg!" Morgan encouraged clapping her hands together.

"Alright, alright, but bear in mind I had the headdress and music last time so it was way more sexy" Greg pointed out.

"Give it what ya got!" Finn encouraged.

And Greg started his supposed 'dance', he remembered it well and he hadn't felt so young and care free in years. Morgan and Finn laughed and clapped their hands, giving the odd whistle of encouragement.

They were having fun until "Sanders!" was barked from the doorway; all three CSI's looked round to find Conrad Ecklie. "Morgan!" he added looking rather shocked at his daughter. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Shaking my money maker?" Greg answered from over his shoulder. Ecklie looked speechless.

"This is a crime lab Sanders! We are a respectable and professional work force…" he stuttered "If you're into that kind of thing now there's a male strip club just round the corner."

Morgan's jaw dropped "Dad! Did you just make a joke?"

"Is the world ending?" Finn asked.

"Whatever" Ecklie said. They could see that even he was trying really hard to supress a smile, or perhaps even a laugh "Just, get down from there!" he urged and then left.

"Seems I bring out the funny in people" Greg said with a wink, before he hopped down off the table and gave a bow to his clapping audience "Thank you, Thank you"

"Woo, you rocked!" Morgan said still laughing.

"That was the most hilarious thing I've seen in years" Finn said laughing too.

"You're too kind" Greg said waving his hands in dismissal.

"Never completely grow up Greg" Morgan said sincerely "At least, don't be so serious all the time. And never doubt for a second you're boring. Just remember we all have two sides. Work us and social us"

"Yeah" Finn agreed "You were a born entertainer Greg"

Greg smiled "Thanks you guys, thanks so much".

He had come to accept the fact that he couldn't act crazy all the time and he was proud of how far he'd grown. But that odd spout of weirdness now and again was worth it just to see his friends laugh.

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**I hope that was entertaining for you and at least made you smile XD**

**More prompts would be great and as always opinions are valued :) xx **


	23. Brothers Reunited

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for the reviews! We're back to some hard core angst now, bring on the brotherly love ;)  
So if like me you feel that in episode 13x07 it totally sucked Greg didn't get to show his feelings for Warrick like Nick, Brass and Sara did, then this fic is for you :) I hope you like! Xx**

Minor spoilers form 13x07 and 13x01

**Summary – Nick goes to visit Warrick's grave, and is surprised to find Greg talking to their old friend. And what Nick over hears upsets him…**

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**Brothers Reunited **

Nick wondered through the cemetery the morning after the case and found himself trying to think of what to say. The case had opened up old wounds concerning his friend Warrick Brown which he hoped would have been buried deep, but now they had resurfaced and he found himself missing Warrick more than ever. Nick needed to see his friend, but not just his grave; he needed to see Warrick in the flesh. He needed Warrick to make him laugh and tell him everything would be ok.

As Nick rounded the tree to come to Warrick's grave, he stopped, a little shocked by what he saw. There, sat crossed legged by his friends grave, was Greg Sanders. Nick could not see Greg's face as he was sat with his back to the Texan, but Nick could have sworn there was a slight tremble to Greg's slender frame. Nick sighed, he hadn't considered how the case might have affected Greg too, he didn't really get chance to talk to the kid. He heard Greg gently talking to Warrick, so Nick decided to hang back and let him have a little time with his old mentor.

"I'm sorry it's been a while" he heard Greg say "I guess with everything that's been going on lately… well anyway that's not really an excuse" he said sounding a little guilty. "Anyways, I came to talk to you about Nick" he confessed. The Texan's ears pricked up at this "I don't feel like I can go to Sara because she's got her own problems at the moment… and the others didn't know you… and I don't really think Nick wants to talk to me right now so…" Nick frowned, why would Greg feel like he couldn't talk to him?

"I just feel like over the past few years… Nick and I have been drifting apart. I mean you know how hard it is to get him to open up?" Greg asked, as he were expecting a response "I don't want it to feel like that. Nick and I… we've stuck it out you know? Well… he_ nearly_ left, but I knew he wouldn't in the end. Did scare me though, the thought of both my older brothers being gone. Who would look after me huh?" he asked with a small smile, it feel when he once again remembered one of those brothers, he would never see again.

Nick's heart hurt to hear such words come from Greg. He hadn't been aware all those weeks ago how selfish his actions truly were, and he was stupid to think that Greg wouldn't care. Of course he did, Greg always cared. And that was one of the reasons Nick stayed, because the thought of leaving his family behind was too much. As for them drifting apart… well Nick had to say he hadn't noticed, but that could just be because he was always wrapped up in a case, or thinking about Warrick… he failed to notice Greg was still there.

"I don't know what to do man" Greg said, his voice cracking for the first time. "I use to think… I had this idea in my head that after you… that Nick was never gunna smile again." He confessed, and Nick started to listen to his young friends concerns for the first time "I thought he'd never be happy. How could he be when his best friend and brother is gone? Probably just pissed at the thought of being stuck with me huh?" This hurt Nick. "I know he wished if it had to have been anyone, it would have been him… and I wished it could have been me, because then you'd still be here and Nick wouldn't be so sad."

"No" Nick whispered as he felt a tear slip down his face "No that wouldn't make me happy at all"

"You don't deserve this, and neither does Nick" Greg continued, still unaware that he was being watched. "I'm just the backup friend Warrick, there's only so much I can do. I love Nick like a brother… whether he feels the same… I don't know. But it hurts for me to see him this way and know that I can't give him the support he needs. Because that was your job and I'm just not as good."

As the speech continued Nick found himself slowly trailing towards Greg, tears still slipping form his eyes "I don't _want_ to replace you. Of course I don't, you and Nick will always be best friends and I would_ never_ try and take that away from you. He needs you Warrick, not me… God why did this have to happen!" He cried in anguish and buried his face in his fists as he sobbed "I'm so sorry Warrick, I can't look after Nick, and I feel like I've let you down"

A sudden hand being put down on his shoulder nearly made the young CSI jump out of his skin. The owner of the hand sat down beside him and Greg turned a shaky head "Nick!" he exclaimed sounding horrified. "When… did you…" the look in his eyes was almost frightened "You heard what I said?" Greg asked in a terrified whisper. Nick nodded his head "Oh God… Nick I …" he started to scramble away but Nick gently pulled him back. The terrified look returned to Greg's face "Please I'm sorry, please don't be mad" he begged. But then, much to Greg's surprise, Nick pulled the young man towards him in a tight hug and Greg sobbed into his older brother's shoulder.

"Greggo, what you said hurt" Nick said "But not because it was spiteful, but because some of it was true and I was just to blind to see it." Nick said, referring to Greg claiming Nick had distanced himself. "It hurts that you think I would have cared less if it was you who'd died. Greg, when they found you in that alley and thought… I was terrified." He found himself confessing this to the younger CSI for the first time. "And as for not being as good as Warrick, well that's just bull" he said shaking his head "You are as much as a friend to me as Warrick is… in fact you're more than that, of course I love you like a little brother." He squeezed Greg's trembling shoulders a little tighter as the young man still silently cried.

"Nick you don't have to…" Greg started in a small voice.

"No, I do. And you could never let Warrick down. He loved you like a brother too, and he was_ so_ proud of you, _so_ proud. When he told everyone how good you were to mentor, there was always a smile on his face" Nick told him, Greg needed to know this.

"Really?" Greg asked quietly as he looked up at Nick. The Texan nodded. "I miss him Nick, I miss him so much"

"I do too kiddo" Nick said placing a hand over Warrick's name on the stone "And I know he misses us. But we'll visit, and he'll watch over us, because he's always going to protect us and have our backs."

"We're always going to be brothers, aren't we?" Greg asked, needing the reassurance.

"Yeah, yeah of course we are" Nick said as Greg placed a hand on Warrick's grave too "Family is forever. Whether it's in blood or not."

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**Not much to say from down here for once :P**

**Reviews and prompts :) xx**


	24. Siblings New and Old

**A/N: So here is yet another random idea of mine. So in my personal opinion, Nick and Morgan don't seem to interact an awful lot which is a darn shame, so I wanted to write a brotherly/sisterly fic with them together. I really liked writing this one and I hope you love it! I wanted to get the right balance of angst and humour too… because the addition of Greg is always good for a laugh right ;) **

**Summary – Nick tells Morgan about the time he was kidnapped…. Mainly angst, but Greg also thrown in to lighten the mood ;) Morganders/ Grody/ Branders/ Meg :3 Whatever you prefer ;)**

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**Siblings New and Old **

"Hey, hold the elevator!" Morgan called as she quickened her pace to catch it. Nick held his arm out across the door to stop it from closing. The younger CSI quickly rushed inside and let out a sigh "Thanks" she said with a smile.

"Don't mention it" Nick grinned back as he pushed the button for the 2nd floor and the door closed.

"How's the case going?" Morgan asked as she leant against the wall and rocked back on her heels.

"Pretty good" Nick said with a nod "We got plenty of evidence and the suspect is a nervous wreck. We're expecting him to cave any time now"

"You haven't been bullying him have you?" Morgan asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Nick chuckled and shook his head.

All of a sudden, the elevator came to an abrupt halt with a shaky judder. Morgan yelped in surprise and grabbed the hand rail whilst Nick fell forward and pressed his palms against the door for support.

"Well this ain't good" Morgan mumbled as she stood back up again and straightened her hair out.

"No…" Nick groaned as he began to repeatedly press the button "No, no, no please no" he sounded despaired and even a little frightened, Morgan thought.

"Nick just chill" Morgan said raising a hand to him and then bringing her cell phone out her back pocket with the other.

"I can't… I can't chill!" Nick exclaimed as he slammed his fist against the door and cried out in frustration. Morgan jumped, feeling more than a little taken aback. "I-I'm sorry" Nick said looking at her with wide eyes "I didn't mean to scare you"

"That's okay" Morgan told him with a gentle smile, although she wondered what the true cause of his outburst was. "It's just broken down, I'll call for help" she said placing the phone to her ear after dialling the first person she thought of.

"Go for Greg" her boyfriend replied.

"Hey Babe" Morgan replied whilst running a hand through her hair.

"Hey Morgs, what's up?"

"Listen the elevators broke down somewhere between the first and second floor. Nick and I are trapped inside." She explained "Can you find the maintenance guys to help us?"

"Oh yeah sure" Morgan couldn't help but smile at the undertone of concern in her boyfriend's voice. "You guys okay?" Greg asked.

"Erm…" Morgan looked over at Nick who had one hand still on the elevator door and his head hanging low as she shook it, muttering something to himself. "Yeah…_I'm_ fine" she said, hoping Greg would get the hint.

"So Nick's not?" Greg asked, easily catching on. Morgan didn't need a reply, Greg knew why his friend may be having problems. "Listen, you just got to keep him calm okay. Tell him you'll be out of there soon" Morgan had a feeling Greg knew more than he was letting on. "I'm going to get help. Just hang in there okay?"

"Sure, thanks Greg" Morgan replied and hung up the phone. "Nick…" she said gently as she slowly began to approach the older man like he was a wild animal that might run away. "You okay?" she slowly reached out a hand to put on his arm but the Nick gasped and flinched away.

"No! Please…" Nick whispered "I just need my own space" There was pure fear in his eyes, Morgan could see that. They were wide and his breathing was a little ragged.

"Okay, I understand" Morgan said raising her hands a little and backing away. "Nick, you need to calm down" she told him. "Just talk to me okay? If you talk to me then it will feel like no time at all before we get out of here."

"I'm sorry" Nick breathed "I'm sorry, this is so embarrassing" he said with a humourless laugh.

"Hey it's okay" Morgan said sincerely. She was worried more than anything. "Claustrophobia is a very common…"

"It's not…It's not claustrophobia...well… not really" Nick told her. He turned his head slightly to the side to look at the blond. "Can…can I tell you something?"

"Sure, absolutely anything" Morgan said, she too was now growing very upset. "I know I haven't known you as long as Greg or Sara, but you're one of my best friends Nick, and I'd like to think you felt the same way." She said with a small smile.

"Of course I do" Nick said with a small smile "In fact you're more than that. You're a little sister"

Morgan's heart soared. "Thank you" she said with tears in her eyes "that means so much to me."

"Well…it's because of that I feel I should tell you." Nick said. With a shaky sigh he slowly sat down on to the floor. His legs and hands were visibly trembling which worried Morgan even more. She too sat down on the floor opposite him , keeping her promise of giving Nick some space. "Has Greg told you about the time…the time I was kidnapped?"

Morgan went wide eyed with shock. "No" she said shaking her head. It wouldn't be within Greg's character to disclose such information if Nick didn't want him to, he was a loyal friend.

"Well about eight years ago now. I was taken from a crime scene. And when I woke up…." Nick's voice broke a little and he gulped as the memory brought back the tears. "They'd buried me alive" his hard exterior crumbled then as he let the tears slip.

Morgan gasped and placed a hand over her mouth. She couldn't even begin to imagine anything worse. She thought she'd had it bad after the helicopter crash but that…that sounded a thousand times worse. How could someone do that to Nick? Morgan may have only known the man for just over a year but he was so strong, kind and passionate. The blond felt tears building in her own eyes at the thought.

"All the bastards left me with was a tape, and a gun. There was barley any room for me to move, and I had never felt so alone. There was a light, which kept going on and off. Turns out it was some camera connecting a feed to the lab so the others could see me. I thought about using the gun too…ya know" he made a gun shape with his fingers and pointed it at his head.

Morgan shook hers "No please, please don't say that" she said lowering her head and letting a tear slip.

"But I used it to shoot the light out instead." Nick continued. "And then the ants came…" he shuddered at the memory. "Crawling all over me. I didn't think I would get out. I was convinced I was going to die"

"Oh God Nick, that's awful. I'm sorry" Morgan said. She hadn't even known the man back then and yet she felt guilty. She could imagine Greg and Sara must have felt the same at the time. "I'm so, so sorry"

"But then they found me. Not before they had to drag me out on a harness because the box was rigged to explode" Nick finished. "It still haunts me you know. The isolation. The fear. The bites, they itch. And now here I am again, stuck in a box. With no sight of the outside world. Just waiting." There were dominant streak marks on his face now from the tears.

"Nick… I can't even begin to imagine what that must have been like." Morgan said. The thought terrified her. She hoped the people who did this to her friend were rotting in hell. "But there's one difference this time. I'm here." She said placing her hands on her chest. "You are _not _alone. And I'm going to take care of you and keep you calm, I promise." Morgan said. "Greg's out there right now getting us help. Everything is alright" she said with a slightly sad smile.

And Nick smiled back. A soft yet genuine smile. "Come here" he said patting the floor beside him. Morgan perked up just a little and shuffled over. Nick wrapped his arm around her shoulder and rested his head on top of Morgan's. "Thank you" he whispered.

"Don't mention it" Morgan said resting her head on Nick's shoulder and taking hold of his hand, intertwining their fingers together. "It's what families are for, right big brother?"

"Right" Nick said squeezing Morgan's hand in his. "Greg's one lucky guy" he said with a light laugh.

"Would you mind telling _him _that?" Morgan said jokingly and the pair laughed.

"How the hell are you _Conrad Ecklie's_ daughter?" Nick said shaking his head.

"Hey, he's not so bad" Morgan shrugged and the pair laughed again. "I'm just glad I got my mom's looks"

"And I'm sure Greg is too" Nick joked.

Morgan smiled. "Thanks for opening up to me like that Nick. I know it must have been hard. It means a lot that you trust me so much."

"Hey like I said, you're my lil' sis. I can tell you anything" Nick said with smile.

And then, just as suddenly as it had stopped, the elevator started moving again. "See, told you it would be okay" Morgan said squeezing his hand.

"Thanks Morgan, I know I'd have just gone insane if you hadn't have been here" Nick said as they looked at each other and smiled.

Just then the door opened to where Greg was stood waiting. He raised an eyebrow at the sight before him and folded his arms. "Ah-hem" he coughed and tapped his foot impatiently against the floor, Nick and Morgan looked at him. "Seriously, I go to all the trouble of rescuing you guys only to find you sat holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes." He rolled his own "Some girlfriend and best friend you are. You were only in there five minutes!" the tone in his voice however, suggested he was only joking as Greg tried to suppress a smile.

"Aww babe, don't be mad" Morgan said with innocent eyes as she and Nick got up off the floor. The Texan too was smiling. "We were just keeping each other in check"

"Well, as long as that's all" Greg said with smirk and then all three CSI's burst out laughing. "I'm just glad you're okay" he said pulling Morgan into a hug. Nick stood awkwardly shuffling his feet. "Yes… I love you too" Greg said with a roll of his eyes before holding out his arm so Nick could join them. "Come hug your bro"

"And your sis, right?" Morgan said with a smile.

"Right" Nick said before joining Greg and Morgan in a tight embrace.

The memories of Nick's past my haunt him sometimes, but that's what his family, old and new, were there to help him for.

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**So like I said, **_**really **_**loved** **writing this one and I hope you guys enjoyed it. And I have got some prompts to work on, Yey!**

**Do keep the prompts coming and a review is always appreciated :) xx**


	25. Come With Me

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm so glad you liked my last story with Nick and Morgan, and especially the part with Greg at the end. Now… this story has been on my mind for a while and even though Riley was never one of my favourites (I much preferred Sofia) I do ship her with Greg because I think they had a good relationship. I feel this story was inevitable somehow. Anyway I hope you enjoy :)**

**Summary – Riley asks Greg to go with her… and Greg is worried by the fact he can't give her an answer… Greg/Riley (is there a name for that?)**

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**Come With Me **

Riley Adams' sudden departure from the Las Vegas Crime Lab had not been such a big shock to _everyone._ Greg Sanders had known. In fact, he had known since the day Riley had joined the lab her time with them would not last. That's why it was so hard to befriend her, because Greg had already lost Sara and Warrick, was losing Nick, and now he didn't want to lose Riley too. But it was inevitable really. Ever since his past crush and colleague Sara had ended up marrying the boss, Greg had sworn himself off falling for co-workers again. That didn't exactly work out.

Greg found Riley two days before she left, sat alone crying in the locker room. It broke the male CSI's heart. He had never expected to see someone like Riley Adams cry, he thought of her as Wonder Woman or something.

"Riley?" he asked quietly from the doorway. The female CSI sniffed and rubbed her eyes looking embarrassed. Greg sighed and sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"They hate me don't they" Riley spoke in a low voice "Catherine, Ray and Nick"

"No, no of course they don't" Greg reassured her, bringing her closer. "Catherine she's just….very passionate." Greg settled on. "Griss left quickly ya know and she's just getting use to the supervisor stuff." It was the only excuse he could think of, Riley and Catherine did seem to clash heads an awful lot. "As for Ray well… he's new too yeah? He's still learning. And Nick, he definitely doesn't hate you. You're like his little sister Riley, Nick's always taken us young ones under his wing" he said with a light laugh and Riley smiled.

"And what about you?" she asked turning so that her blue orbs met Greg's brown. "How do you feel about me?" she whispered.

Greg looked down at the floor and then back to Riley. "Away I almost wish I didn't, but I can't help" and with that he pushed his lisp gently against hers, but Riley did not protest.

Their mouths moved in motion with each other's for a few seconds before they finally broke apart, Riley still gently resting her forehead on Greg's. "I'm leaving, Greg" she said quietly looking at the floor.

"I know you are" the male CSI whispered.

Riley reached her left hand forward and tentatively wrapped her fingers through Greg's. "I just… ever since I arrived here I've felt so unwelcome and like I don't belong. I've been intrusive of this tight knit family and…I'm sorry about your friend Warrick, I really am. But this isn't fair on me. I'm not happy here. "

"I'm really sorry you feel that way" Greg said cupping Riley's left cheek with his hand. "But we tried our best to make you feel comfortable…"

"I know" Riley interrupted "I know you have. It's not you guys faults. You're still grieving for Warrick. I understand that"

"I don't want you to be sad Riley." Greg said lowering his hand and looking her in the eyes "I don't want you to feel this way."

The female CSI moved forward and softly pressed her lips against Greg's once more, before pulling away. "Then come with me" Riley asked. "I'm leaving for Chicago in two days"

Greg was speechless. "I…" he started but then stopped, pulling his hand from Riley's and looking down at the floor.

Riley patted his thigh gently "I have to go home and pack. Please don't say anything to the others yet. It'll be too hard" she requested. "It'll be good for us I promise" she stood up and walked to the door.

"I never said I'd go" Greg called after her.

Riley froze and turned in the doorway "You never said you wouldn't either" she pointed out and left.

* * *

Later that day and Greg was sat crossed leg on one of the chairs in the break room, absentmindedly stirring his coffee. _Why didn't I say no?_ The fact that he had not given Riley an answer worried him. It meant that deep down there was some doubt in his mind of whether staying with the team was the right thing to do. It wouldn't be the first time he'd had doubts like this. After he got beat up, Greg considered not coming back, and even before then when he failed his first proficiency, he considered not even becoming a CSI at all.

Greg knew how Riley felt. At first, he too had struggled to feel like part of the team and like he was part of a family… he still struggled now. He was and always would be in Nick and Catherine's minds, the lab tech. The crazy hyperactive kid who needed to be babysat and they still saw him that way even now, even now he was a level 3 CSI. He was still being given the dirty work, and he didn't particularly enjoy it.

Greg used to think he could tell Catherine everything, but now she was supervisor Greg's own personal issues were probably the last thing she needed on top of the stress. Ray, had not known Greg long, and therefore the young CSI could certainly not open up to him and found him hard to connect with since he missed Grissom so much. And Nick… well he was still grieving for Warrick and that would always last. Greg felt like he and Nick had drifted far apart over the past year and felt their brotherly bond was beyond repair. Greg would for ever and more, always just be the backup friend Nick didn't feel he could go to.

And Riley, Greg hadn't felt so strongly about anybody since…well…Sara. He had made the mistake of not trying to push things with her when he had the chance, did he want to make the same mistake with Riley?

"Hey Greggo" a chirpy Texan voice suddenly came out of nowhere. "How's things?"

"Difficult" Greg replied rather distantly. Nick sat opposite him and frowned.

"What do you mean?" Nick asked. Greg was about to reply before Catherine entered the room flipping through some files.

"Uh oh" she said looking over the top of her glasses "this looks serious. What's up?"

"Do you guys ever wish I'd just stayed in the lab?" Greg asked looking at his friends sadly.

"What?" Nick asked with a nervous laugh. "Greggo what do you mean?"

"Do I belong here?" the young man asked.

"Sweetie of course you do" Catherine said sitting on the arm of Greg's chair and placing an arm around him. "You are a _very_ good CSI. And don't you ever think otherwise. "

"Yeah man. I'm really sorry if it feels like we haven't been there for you the past months" Nick said looking quite upset himself "but a lots been happening, you know? We'll make it up to you. Thank you, for being there for us though."

"Don't mention it" Greg said with a small smile.

"Now listen. I know that Sara leaving hit us hard, and Grissom, and of course Warrick…" Catherine choked up a little at the thought of their lost friend "but it's just me and my two favourite boys now. We've come far together, and you know, we've still got far to go"

"And we'll go that distance together" Nick reassured Greg.

"Thanks you guys" Greg said giving Nick a smile and squeezing Catherine's hand. "Excuse me, there's something I have to do" And with that the young man left in search of Riley.

* * *

"Hey Greggo" Riley said as the male CSI found her emptying out her locker. "You got an answer for me?" she turned to look at Greg, her perfect pony tail bobbing as she did so.

"Riley…" Greg started. But before he could say anything else the female CSI came forward and took hold of Greg's hands.

"It's okay" she said with a small smile. "I understand. It was selfish of me to ask you to go"

"And it would be selfish of me to ask you to stay" Greg replied. "They need me, Riley. Catherine and Nick… and I need them. I love you I do, but I love Catherine and Nick too, even if it is in a different way. I can't leave them now, not at a time like this. I am a little brother, and I am a son here. Who am I out there?"

Riley didn't say a word. Just smiled softly and kissed Greg on the lips once more. "You are a caring, wise and selfless man Greg. Don't ever forget that." She said giving his hand a tight squeeze. Riley went over to the bench and picked up her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. "It's been great working with you. Goodbye CSI Sanders" she said sticking out her hand.

Greg smiled and shook Riley's hand "Goodbye CSI Adams"

As she walked past, Riley quickly leant over and gave Greg a quick peck on the cheek just for old times' sake. Greg didn't watch her leave, just listened as the soft click of her heels faded. And then Riley was gone.

"Hey man!" Nick called with a big grin on his face as he came round the corner. Greg turned and smiled "You do what you had to do?" the Texan asked.

"Yeah" Greg said. "But hey I'm feeling a little down, mind going for a beer later?"

Nick smiled "Course not buddy" he said clapping him on the back. "Come on, tell your big bro all about It" he said leading the younger man out of the room.

"Maybe someday" Greg said quietly "but not today."

* * *

**I hope you liked this... I find it so hard to write romance! I want it to be sweet but then it comes out really cheesy XD Anyway, I'll let you guys be the judges ;)  
**

**I'm a quarter of the way there XD**

**Still working on prompts and do please review :) xx **


	26. Uncle Greg

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for the awesome feedback on the last story :) This one I've had on my mind since I watched episode 13x07. For some reason I just think Greg would be great with kids and I thought it was a shame he and Eli didn't meet. So here's what I think would happen if they did ;) No spoilers!**

**Please Review and leave a prompt! :) xx**

**Summary – Greg talks to Eli about Warrick and Eli feels he's made a new friend.**

* * *

**Uncle Greg **

Eli and Tina had come to visit Sara and Nick at the lab whilst they were on a lunch break. Tina had gone to the bathroom when Eli had wondered off and now she and Nick were looking for him. Nick asked Greg to keep an eye out and the younger man was just heading out when he spotted a small figure lying on the patch of grass just outside the lab. Greg gave a small smile as he wandered over to the little boy and looked down at him. He may only have been 5, but Eli looked rather deep in thought.

"Hey Eli, I'm a friend of your dad's. My names Greg" Greg explained to the child who squinted up at him. "Mind if I join you?"

Eli shrugged. "I guess not" he mumbled.

Greg lay down on the grass next to the little boy "What are you doing out here huh? Your mom's worried about you"

"Looking at the sky" the little boy replied "Mom says that's where my dad is"

"Well that's right" Greg said "He looks down on us all and protects us"

Eli rolled his head to look at Greg "You knew my dad?" he asked.

Greg also looked at the little boy "Yeah, he was one of my best friends" he said with a small smile.

"Like my Uncle Nick and Aunt Sara?"

"That's right. Your dad looked after me because he said I was like a little brother, and I looked up to him because he was my big brother."

"And he was really tall!" Eli said.

Greg laughed "Yeah that too"

"Well um, my mom said that my dad used science to catch bad guys. Do you do that too?" The inquisitive boy asked.

"Yeah I do, and you know what, your dad taught me a_ lot_ about how to be a good scientist." Greg proudly told Eli.

"Uh-huh, I always thought that my dad's job sounded like he was Batman" Eli said with an excited smile.

Greg laughed again "Yeah, he was Batman, and I guess you could say I was his Robin"

"That's so cool" Eli said with admiration in his voice. They were quiet for a while before Eli asked "Do you think my dad would have liked me?"

Greg smiled as he looked at the little boy who reminded him so much of Warrick "He would have _loved_ you… in fact he still loves you and he always will" Eli smiled at this "You look so much like him, you know?" Greg said.

"My dad was handsome then" Eli said with a cheeky smile and Greg laughed.

"Must have been!" the CSI said "And you're smart like him too"

"Yeah, he was really smart" Eli said proudly.

"He was and he always knew what to do. Even now whenever I'm stuck I ask myself, _what would Warrick do?" _Greg explained "I still think about him a lot… and I talk to him sometimes too. As long as you do that, then he'll never really leave you"

"Does he think about me?" Eli asked.

"All the time" Greg replied reassuringly.

"My Uncle Nick told me a little about you" Eli said with a smile "He said you were really funny"

"Oh he did, did he?" Greg asked raising an eyebrow "Well I'll tell you this for nothing, I ain't funny, I'm down right crazy" he said and pulled a funny face which made Eli burst out laughing as he rolled about on the floor.

"You are funny!" the little boy exclaimed "Uncle Nick said that he you and my dad did funny stuff all the time!"

"Oh yeah, did he tell you about the time me and your dad caused an explosion using Soda and Mentos?"

Eli giggled "No"

"Well, we'd been trying to catch some bag guys who'd blown up a warehouse, and we wanted to try and copy without hurting anyone so we could work it out. Anyway I bought like twenty cans of soda and your dad had like fifty packets of these mints. We put them inside this model building we'd made out of Popsicle sticks, five seconds later… boom!" Greg motioned an explosion with his hands and Eli burst out laughing again. "We were _soaked _and our boss was _so_ mad" he started to laugh at the memory too. Ecklie had ranted at him and Warrick for a good half an hour "And we had to clean up the whole lab. It was worth it though because we had fun together, we laughed _so_ much"

"That does sound funny!" Eli exclaimed through his fit of giggles. "Do you have more funny stories?"

"Yeah, but most of them will have to wait til you're eighteen" Greg said with a smirk as he gave Eli's shoulder a light nudge.

Eli sighed as he got his laughter under control. He sat up and looked sceptically at the man beside him "Can I call you Uncle Greg?" the boy asked.

Greg smiled as he rolled onto his side and propped his head in his hand "Sure I'd like that. Can I call you squirt?" he joked.

Eli snickered and shrugged "Yeah I guess"

"So, are we pals?" Greg asked.

"Yeah! Just like you and my dad" Eli said and both little boy and CSI smiled.

"Anyway, I think we should get you back to your mom. She'll be worried."

"Okay. I'm hungry anyways"

Greg chuckled "Here" he said sitting up and pulling his wallet out his jacket pocket, he handed Eli five dollars "For some candy, don't say your Uncle Greg never does anything for you"

Eli looked wide eyed at the large amount of money to such a small boy "Cool! Thanks Uncle Greg you're the best!" he said taking the cash excitedly.

"I am aren't I" Greg said sounding pleased with himself, before leaning over and tickling Eli's ribcage playfully. The little boy giggled and squirmed around.

"Eli!" Someone suddenly called from behind them and Tina came running over followed by Nick "I was so worried! Don't wonder off like that again okay" she said sternly.

"Okay, I'm sorry mom" Eli said with an apologetic smile and Tina smiled back just relieved her son was alright.

"Don't worry Tina we've just been having a chat" Greg said smiling at the little boy.

"Yeah! Did you know how awesome my Uncle Greg was?" Eli said with admiration and the adults laughed.

"Did he tell you to say that?" Nick asked.

"Nope" Greg said proudly "and you're really awesome too Eli" he said and gave the boy a high five.

"Can we hang out again sometime so you can tell me more stories about my dad?" Eli asked hopefully.

"Sure, I'd love that" Greg said with a soft smile.

"We'll arrange it sometime" Tina said, happy her son had found a new friend. "Anyway we gotta go, you have school tomorrow mister" Eli groaned and the adults laughed.

"Okay, bye Uncle Nick" Eli said giving the Texan a hug "See you later Uncle Greg!" he said practically jumping on the young man to give him a hug.

"See you later squirt" Greg said as he ruffled the little boy's hair, and then Eli left with his mother.

"Well you two seemed to be getting on" Nick said with a smile as he sat down next to the younger man. "That's really great G"

"Well what can I say" Greg shrugged "kids just love me" he said with a smug grin and Nick laughed.

"It would appear so. Does it make you want to be a dad?" Nick asked.

"Nah, I'm way too immature for that" Greg replied.

"Really? Not even if it was with Morgan?" Nick teased.

The older man burst out laughing as Greg playfully pushed him to the side "Oh shut up you!"


	27. Part 1: Ill

**A/N: Heyy guys! So I've got quite a few prompts piled up now, thank you so much! So I shall be fulfilling your wishes for a while, and I got some great reviews which is ace! This is for ****McGeeklover ****who requested sick Greg and comforting Nick, it's gunna be a two parter ;) **

**UK! We're still loving the new series right? Good, Good :3**

**So yeah I'll shut up now.**

**Summary - Greg is really ill, and a fight with Nick just makes matters worse... **

* * *

**Ill **

He felt dead. There was no other way to describe it. He should just go down to autopsy and lay on the cold metal lab, just waiting.

Greg Sanders groaned as he tried to sooth his pounding headache and ease the hot sweat which was causing his hair to stick to his forehead, even though he kept shivering from sudden chills. He was hot, like, _really_ hot…. like he'd walked through the fires of hell itself. His throat was so soar that he could barely swallow and his breathing felt constricted. He should have listened to his mother when she suggested Greg get his tonsils out.

He was extremely tired, he felt like a ghost when walking around, yet he couldn't sleep from the pain. He'd completely lost his appetite and hadn't eaten since the previous morning. He had pain behind his eyes too, and they looked red and puffy. Greg didn't feel like there was a part of him that wasn't in agony.

_Why was I so friggin' stupid as to come into work?! _ He scolded himself in his mind, but it appeared that even thinking loud thoughts made his head hurt even worse.

The truth was it had only been three weeks since Warrick was murdered, and therefore Greg couldn't afford to not be at work. Firstly, and most tragically, they were a CSI down and therefore needed as much as help as they could get. The other point was…well Nick in particular was still finding it hard to cope and Greg felt like he needed to be there for his friend. His own ailment would have to wait, Nick needed Greg's support right now and that was more important.

"Hey Greggo" the Texan drawl suddenly flowed through the air as Nick arrived in the room too. "What's up?" he asked with a lopsided smile "You go drinking last night?" he teased.

"No" Greg replied quietly. It was the only decibel he could achieve. The young CSI rolled his head on the locker door to face Nick.

The Texan's smile fell "Oh my God, Greg" he said concernedly "You look like, well, death"

"Thanks" Greg croaked "Then, could you put me out my misery please?" Nick laughed a little. _I'm not kidding _Greg thought disgruntledly.

"You want to go to hospital or something?" Nick asked.

"No, Nicky I…" Greg stopped as he realised what he'd done and rolled his head back round "Shit" he mumbled to himself.

Nick's look of concern turned to one of anger "I told you not to call me that!" he practically yelled. Greg cringed and turned away. "God Greg I… you know how it upsets me!" Nick continued to press incredulously. "Are you just doing it on purpose or something?!"

Nick been doing this a lot recently, making a big deal out of rather insignificant things. Nearly everything about the job, or Vegas for that matter, reminded him that Warrick was gone, that his best friend was dead. He'd just get mad a lot and explode at random intervals, usually at Greg, since Catherine and Grissom were their superiors. But Greg didn't mind though, he knew this was part of Nick's grieving process. He was willing to go through anything, just to help Nick through this. Even if the stuff the older CSI said did hurt sometimes.

"Nick I'm sorry" Greg almost choked. His eyes already hurt and having to hold back tears was not helping.

"Whatever, Greg" Nick said bluntly and left shaking his head.

Greg sniffed as he finally pulled himself off the locker. He felt really dizzy and nearly feel over due to head rush, but he caught himself on the bench. As if today couldn't get any worse….

…It got worse.

Grissom had put Greg and Nick on a case together and Nick wouldn't even talk to the younger man. Although, Greg couldn't help but be thankful for the silence so he wouldn't have to strain his throat. Everything now looked distorted due to his stinging eyes and headache, Nick looked like he had two heads. And if he were able to, Greg would quiet happily walk around the back alley crime scene with his shirt off it meant he'd cool down a little… a _lot_. His fatigue was getting worse as he tried to stop his eyes from drooping and the hunger in the pit of his stomach made it sound like he'd swallowed a chainsaw.

The youngest CSI bent down on one knee to examine some blood drops he'd found on the floor, when he suddenly felt a sharp stabbing sensation in his abdomen. Greg whimpered in pain as he clutched at the aching spot. Another stab and Greg let out a small cry of pain. He quickly clapped a hand over his mouth, hoping Nick hadn't heard.

"Greg!" Nick called. But he sounded more angry than concerned. "Greg, can you pay attention please, I've been calling to you for like five minutes!"

"N-n-Nick" Greg stuttered. _Oh God the pain_. He gritted his teeth and wrapped his arms around himself.

"What?" Nick said bluntly.

"Hos-hospital" Greg managed to whimper before he started to sag to the floor as the darkness consumed.

"Greg!" Nick called as he caught his friend. And this time he was concerned. No, more than that.

He was frightened.

They were at the hospital now.

Nick had immediately shouted for someone to call an ambulance as he pulled Greg into his chest. He'd wiped back Greg's fringe, the poor kid had been sweating like he was six feet from the sun, yet he was shivering. His breathing had been ragged and inconsistent and his neck looked a little swollen. Nick had sat on the ground with Greg leant against his chest as he rocked back and forth slightly stroking the young CSI's hair.

"I'm sorry Greggo" he'd whispered quietly as tears filled his eyes. "I'm so, so sorry. Please wake up, please don't leave me"

The ambulance had arrived and Nick had refused to let go of Greg's hand the whole time, despite various medics trying to push him away. As soon as they'd gotten to the hospital Greg had been rushed away and Nick had called Grissom. The supervisor said he and Catherine were stuck at a crime scene in the desert but they'd get there soon as possible.

And now Nick was pacing impatiently up and down the hall with a shaky fist placed on his mouth.

"You idiot!" He whispered aggressively to himself "You, absolute…complete…total…bastard!" he was angry at himself of course, for not taking action earlier when he realised Greg wasn't well.

And then he'd yelled at the kid for no God damn reason! He was the worst friend in the world… and he deserved to be hated for this. Greg was obviously ill, _really _ill, and Nick had been so stubborn and so wound up about Warrick's death, he hadn't noticed Greg suffering because of it. And Greg had been there for Nick no matter what…as proved by this. But Nick, well he couldn't even remember if he'd asked Greg how he was coping after Warrick's death.

"Oh God!" Nick cried in frustration as he gripped the back of his neck. "Please Greggo, please just wake up, I need you to know I'm here for you. I need you to know I'm sorry… I need you to know you're my little brother, and I love you. Yeah I'll say it, I love you little bro"

Just then a doctor came out of Greg's room and approached Nick. The Texan's breathing hitched as the doctor's face was inscrutable right now. The female doctor stood in front of Nick and gave him a sympathetic smile.

Nick's heart sank.

* * *

**Second part to appear very soon! Also, halfway through exams now, so there is a new multi-chapter story in the works! Three guesses as to who it's about ;)**

**And just to prove my immaturity, the title says ill, it's not just three lines which I think it looks like :3**

**More prompts would be great and reviews would be nice too :) xx **


	28. Part 2: Solace

**A/N: Hey guys! Here is the second part to my Sick Greg, Guilty/Comforting Nick prompt. Sorry it's taken so long, I had four exams this week! But don't worry I remain loyal to my readers too ;) I hope you like. And thanks for the lil' pile of prompts I've got to work on, as well as the encouraging reviews :) **

**Summary – Nick waits impatiently to hear news about Greg in the hospital, will they get the chance to make up?**

* * *

**Solace **

"Mister Sanders has a very severe case of Glandular Fever" the doctor informed Nick.

Nick gave her an incredulous look "Well, what the hell is that? Is it dangerous?" he asked desperately.

"Well in most normal cases, patients suffer from swollen glands in their neck, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, stinging eyes, loss of appetite, an extremely sore throat and a temperature around 39 degrees" the doctor informed him.

"Is that all?" Nick said sarcastically. How was Greg even walking around before? That was a long list of symptoms, and yet Nick had been too much of an ass to notice any of them. He was furious at himself.

"Mister Sander's case is very severe, and it has resulted in a ruptured spleen" The doctor told Nick regrettably. Nick's mouth fell slightly agape. "Greg, will have been suffering from extremely intense abdominal pains"

"Is he…" Nick stuttered, before running a hand down his face to try and calm himself. "Is he going to be okay?" _Please, for the love of God. _

"It's hard to say. We fixed his spleen in surgery, but it's a very important organ in term of fighting off infection. So until it heals properly, Greg's immune system may be pretty weak"

"Shit Greggo" Nick said placing a shaking fist to his mouth to try and stop himself from sobbing. "When, can I…when can I sit with him?"

"It's best we wait a few hours, just some time for him to recuperate. We don't want him getting infected. And we're giving him some fluids and painkillers too" the doctor said gently.

"Alright, alright thank you doctor" Nick said with a small smile. The doctor smiled back and went off to her next patient.

Nick sighed as he placed his hands behind his head and started pacing up and down. He needed to do it, anything, to keep him distracted. Because if he didn't, then Nick's shaking legs would just give way underneath him, and Nick would just go crashing down, weighed down by the guilt he felt resting upon his shoulders. But he had to stay strong, for Greg, and grovel on his knees to the young man if that's what it took.

"Nick!" a voice suddenly called. The Texan turned to see Catherine and Grissom hurrying towards him. "How is he?" Catherine asked. Nick explained what the doctor had told him. "Oh my God" Catherine breathed after Nick had finished.

"Cath if I… if the last thing I did was yell at him…" Nick couldn't say it. It was all too much. He broke down then and Catherine pulled him into a tight hug.

"Ssh, hey, Greg's going to be alright" Catherine reassured him with tears in her own eyes. It hurt her to see Nick so upset, and hearing about Greg being so ill.

"I just want him to know I'm sorry" Nick whispered. "I just need him to know he's my best friend."

"And you can tell him that" Grissom suddenly spoke up, much to Nick and Catherine's surprise. As always, he'd been hiding his own emotions very well. "Greg will fight this"

Catherine soon led Nick to sit down as she feared he might fall over any minute.

"We could have lost him Cath…we could still lose him if he gets infected" Nick said quietly as he rubbed his stinging eyes. "I've already lost Warrick, one of my brothers, and the thought of losing Greg too… it kills me"

"Nick you listen to me …" Catherine said in a firm yet reassuring manner "Greg wouldn't leave you, any of us. He cares too much. And you know, it's because Warrick's up there, guiding him back to us" it was strange for a woman of science to say such a thing, yet Catherine genuinely believed her words.

"Yeah, I know" Nick said with a small smile. "Warrick wouldn't let Greg get lost"

It seemed like hours before Greg's doctor returned. It was hours. Grissom had been stood impatiently pacing, and Nick had rested his head on Catherine's shoulder, as she stroked his head in a mothering way.

"You can sit with Greg now if you like, one at a time though if you please" she said with a smile.

Nick looked desperately between Catherine and Grissom. "Go on, Nicky" Catherine said giving the younger man a pat on the back "We'll go get coffee"

"Thanks" Nick said quietly, before following the doctor to Greg's room.

"He's still asleep" she informed him "But he may wake up at any moment."

"Okay, thank you" Nick said, and the doctor left. Nick turned and looked at his friend with a sad frown. Greg looked so small and fragile, attached to an IV drip. His neck still looked pretty swollen too, and there was a thin layer of sweat covering him. "Hey Greggo" Nick spoke as if his friend would hear him, and the Texan liked to believe he could. "You scared the hell out of me back there man" he said as he sat down in a chair and cautiously took Greg's hand. "Don't do that ever again, I don't think my old heart can take it" he said with a small smile. It made him feel worse that Greg couldn't smile back.

"Man, I need you to wake up" Nick said with tears in his eyes as he raised Greg's hand and gave it a squeeze. "You, will _never_, believe, how sorry I am" he said sincerely. "You have done _so_ much for me since Warrick died, and I've just thrown it back in your face." He squeezed Greg's hand in his, and rested his fists against his forehead as he lowered in head. "Please just wake up Greggo" Nick begged, his voice cracking. "Please, just wake up soon"

Suddenly, a light moan escaped from the younger man's lips, as Greg's head started to roll around on the pillow.

"N-Nick?" Greg asked quietly as he opened his eyes slowly. Nick looked a bit blurry to him at first but, then his vision cleared. "What are you doing here?" the young CSI almost sounded scared.

"Looking after you of course!" Nick said with a slightly nervous laugh.

"But you…you yelled at me" Greg said furrowing his brow in confusion. "I called you…and then…don't you hate me?" This broke Nick's heart to hear.

"Hey, of course I don't hate you" Nick said reassuringly. "How could I ever hate you? I'm supposed to be here, because I care about you and I want to protect you. Leggo my Greggo, remember?"

"Yeah but…I just didn't think you'd forgive me" Greg said sounding upset.

"What, why would I need to forgive you?" Nick asked.

"Because what I said…what I called you…it was stupid and I wasn't thinking, I'm stupid, I …."

"Greg!" Nick interrupted him "You are not stupid. I was the stupid one. I shouldn't have reacted to such a small thing in the way I did. You have helped me so much these past few weeks, and I'm so grateful, and I'm really proud of you for staying strong." Nick sighed. "So I'm the one who should be apologising to you. I was a total jerk earlier and you were so ill, I should have realised. "

"Don't…" Greg said "Don't, you weren't to know. I hid it best I could. I just didn't want to be an unnecessary burden."

"That's what you think you are to me?" Nick said raising an eyebrow "A burden?" Greg nodded sadly. "Greg I'm going to tell you this in a very blunt manner in hope you'll understand." Nick told him. "That's Bullshit, and you're my little brother"

Greg gave a weak laugh at this. "So, do you forgive me?"

"Forgive you for what?" Nick said with a wink. "Do you forgive me?"

"I'll think about it…" Nick raised an eyebrow "I'm just kidding!" Greg said with a smile and the pair of them laughed.

"Greg, if you ever feel like ill this again, you have to tell me, promise?" Nick said sternly.

"Promise" Greg said with a soft smile. "It was Warrick you know, he helped me through too."

Nick smiled "Yeah, Catherine had a hunch"

* * *

**So yeah, should probably say, anything related to medicince and disease and stuff is probably wrong, although I did get it off the NHS website :P (Big British medical thing)**

**So yeah, really excited to work on more prompts!**

**Reviews are appreciated :) xx **


	29. With Your Approval

**A/N: Hello guys! Thank you for your reviews on the last chapter, I'm glad you liked the soppy bromance :) This one is a prompt from**** Smuffly**** who asked for Grissom and Greg, around the time Greg first became a CSI. I quite liked writing this one because I don't normally concentrate on Grissom an awful lot, but I like to portray him as a good mentor figure :) **

**Summary – After Greg makes a dangerous move out on the field, Grissom talks to the young CSI and finds out how Greg feels in his new job.**

* * *

**With Your Approval **

Greg Sanders sat in the chair with his legs crossed over, fidgeting with his hands and looking anywhere except at the man sat opposite him. He felt like a child at school being sent to the principal's office as his supervisor Gil Grissom sat across his desk, looking at Greg over the top of his wise man glasses. The majority of creepy things Grissom kept in jars on his shelves had never really interested Greg, because they freaked the young man out, but suddenly they were all but too fascinating for him.

Greg could see out the corner of his eye that Grissom was looking at him. The fact the supervisor looked so calm was the thing that worried the new CSI most. If Grissom just looked angry, Greg would know for sure he was in trouble, but because the supervisor could hide his emotions so well, Greg felt he was at a huge disadvantage.

He felt like Grissom was just waiting for him to crack, being able to see right through Greg and searching his soul. The young CSI wondered if this was how Grissom's suspects felt under interrogation, because just being under the supervisors stare made Greg want to confess every bad thing he'd ever done in his life. As cliché as it was, the silence was deafening. Greg had outright told Grissom how the older man made him nervous, and now Greg was working for him, it seemed to be getting worse than better.

"Why did you do it Greg?" Grissom asked calmly after what seemed like hours of silence for the young CSI.

"Because I…" Greg started, but then bit his lip. He wasn't really sure why.

"Well, what were you thinking, at the time?" Grissom steadily pressed.

"Catch the suspect" Greg mumbled, still choosing to look at the floor. "We've worked too long and too hard. He's hurt so many people. Catch the suspect"

"So, you felt that it was your responsibility to chase the suspect?" Grissom asked. "Even though you're not an officer nor were you armed."

"I didn't…" Greg exhaled and closed his eyes as he tried to gather his thoughts. When he opened them again he looked at his supervisor for the first time. "I didn't think it was my _responsibility._ It was just something I _had_ to do for the civilians and myself" Greg snapped his mouth shut after this, feeling he'd said too much.

"And why did you… _have_ to do it for yourself?" Grissom asked. He finally felt like he was getting somewhere with the young man.

"Well…let's just say if it had been any of the others, they would have done the same thing" Greg said quietly.

"Yes, but they have all been a CSI for a lot longer than you have, and they all carry guns" Grissom pointed out. Greg dropped his head looking a little ashamed. "Not that I'm saying I would have approved if any of them had tried it."

"I just… wanted to show I was just as good" Greg mumbled to the floor. He sighed and looked at his supervisor with saddened eyes "I just wanted to prove that I could do it."

"Greg, it doesn't show anything about your ability as a CSI. Chasing the suspects is not in a CSI's job description" Grissom pointed out. "Look, I'm not concerned about the fact you chased the suspect. I'm concerned about the fact you could have been hurt"

Greg looked a little surprised by this revelation. He didn't think Grissom would care that much. "I'm sorry, Sir" Greg said. Grissom found the comment quiet unnecessary. "It's just…I'm the newbie okay, and I'm still young, at least that's what you guys tell me. I just want to shake this image out of people's minds that I'm still the goofball lab rat, and I'm not. I want…no I _need _to prove myself" there was a slight shimmer appearing in Greg's eyes as he said this. Then the young man gave a humourless laugh "Well you know what maybe I was wrong. Maybe I can never shake that image, and maybe I was stupid to think I could do this."

"You weren't wrong, Greg" Grissom said, again to the younger man's surprise. "Changing your career if it meant making you happy was always the right thing to do. As for wanting to be taken seriously…your hair is flat."

Greg gave his supervisor a confused look "What?" he said tousling said hair about nervously.

"Greg, it's common knowledge around here that you changed your hair every few weeks" Grissom spoke, with a small smile. It both relieved Greg and embarrassed him. "But the way you've toned it down, shows how serious you are about toning down the antics from your lab days to be seen as a serious professional out in the field."

"Well… I guess so" Greg said with a nervous laugh as he finally stopped fiddling with his hair. "It's just…you all have your place, you know? You're the boss. Catherine's like the mom everyone turns to. Sara's the determined and feisty go-getter. Warrick's all hard and super street smart. And Nick's all caring and stuff… were does that leave me? The young, stupid one?"

"And why do you feel you're so…_stupid_?" Grissom continued his questioning.

"Because…well just look at the way I act!" Greg said growing slightly angry with himself now. "And whenever I was in one of your meetings I use to just sit there and wonder what the hell you were talking about?! And… I can't quote Shakespeare off the top of my head; I don't listen to classical music or read poetry."

"And that's what you think it means to be smart?" Grissom asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well…when I'm around _you_ at least." Greg mumbled as he grew embarrassed again.

"Greg, do you or do you not have a chemistry degree from Stanford University?" Grissom asked.

"Well, yes but…"

"So there's your book smarts. And do you or do you not have a wide range of friends here who care about you?"

"I guess…"

"Well there's your social skills. Greg, everyone is smart in their own way, but everyone is stupid or ignorant in their own way too. You think when I hear you, Nick and Warrick talking football I have any idea what the _hell _you're going on about?" Grissom asked seriously.

"Apparently not" Greg said with an awkward smile.

Grissom smiled back "So, in conclusion, you are a very valued member of my team, and I wouldn't have allowed you on it if I didn't think you could handle it. I'm proud of the progress you've made. Now, what you did today was to a degree…inconsiderate. But it was very brave too. Your heart was in the right place" The older CSI reassured Greg.

"Thank you, Sir" Greg said giving his supervisor a very genuine smile. "I'll be sure to think twice next time."

"You're welcome" Grissom said with a soft smile. "And remember… _A truly strong person does not need the approval of others any more than a lion needs the approval of sheep."_

Greg smiled "And who said that?"

"Vernon Howard. American spiritual teacher, author, and philosopher." Grissom told him.

"Well, regarding my actions today. _Sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."_ Greg replied.

"And who said that?" Grissom asked.

"Spock, _Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan_" Greg said with his trademark cheeky smile and Grissom couldn't help but give a light laugh.

"Now _that's_ smart"

* * *

**So, yeah :P I hope you liked it! Probably one of my favourite Trekkie quotes XD (Don't own Star Trek by the way, just as a disclaimer) Bit weird at the end and as always, I worry about keeping Grissom in character. **

**Anyways, give me more prompts to gobble up! And as always, reviews are loved :) x **


	30. The Writer

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! Thank you so much for the reviews on the last story, I'm also pleased to learn a lot of my readers are Star Trek fans like me XD Anyway, this story comes from two prompts. ****starfire25**** asked for a Russell/ Greg bonding piece, and****9Laura8****asked for a post 'It was a very good year' story quite a while back. So here it is :) Enjoy!**

**Summary – After Russell catches Greg throwing a copy of his book in the trash, he decides to confront Greg as to why.**

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**The Writer **

D.B. Russell was walking towards his office when he spotted one of his team members Greg Sanders, stood alone in the break room. Greg looked in deep thought as he stood holding the book he had written 'Sin City Secrets'. The younger CSI looked…sad, and Russell couldn't say he blamed him. It must be hard to find out a girl you once dated…or maybe even more… was killed over such a pointless thing. Eventually, Greg let out a deep sigh, and D.B watched in amazement as the younger man carelessly dropped the book into the trash can and left the room.

Russell frowned before entering the break room himself and picking the book up out the trash can. He studied it and flicked through the first few pages. The supervisor was surprised. He knew Greg was incredibly intelligent, that was obvious, but Russell would have never tagged him as a history buff when they first met. The supervisor was surprised by the amount of detail Greg had gone into with his words, he could sense the pride behind them and Greg was obviously very passionate about his work, Russell had seen that first hand numerous times when out in the field. So why had Greg thrown the book away?

Russell would consult him about this later; Greg was obviously still upset and needed some space right now. So, the supervisor decided to leave for the night and let things settle down for a while. He had his nose still deep in Greg's book as he walked.

* * *

The next shift and Russell realised just how quiet Greg was being. The younger CSI didn't say anything unless directly spoken to about the case, and not even paring Greg with Morgan seemed to make him happy! This was normally Russell's go to solution when Greg was feeling a bit low, but that didn't work and this probably meant even more of a cause for concern. Greg just spent most of the night with a blank expression and a sad look in his eyes, as he wandered around the crime scene with little enthusiasm. So, after the shift had ended, Russell decided to take action.

"Hey, Greg" D.B said as he entered the locker room to find the younger man stacking his stuff away.

"Hey, Boss. Don't you normally just shout when you want me?" Greg asked with a bit of a lopsided smile, but Russell could tell it was fake.

"Well, yes but this is a personal matter. I was wondering if you'd like to get a drink with me?" the supervisor asked.

Greg stopped "A drink…with you…alone?" he said sounding surprised.

"Well yeah, we do you have to make it sound so creepy?" Russell joked.

"Oh no…I'm so sorry! That's not what I…." Greg looked mortified with himself "It's just that, you know, you're my boss and…"

"Greg, Greg….I know what you meant" Russell interrupted and laughed whilst Greg turned a shade of pink. "It's just…you haven't been yourself the past couple of days and I thought it might help to talk about it" D.B told the younger man outright.

Greg paused as he considered this. "Sure, a drink sounds good" he finally said with a small smile, and this time Russell could tell it was real.

* * *

The CSI's ended up at their new diner, which they had adopted after what happened at Frank's. They took a booth in the far corner and simply ordered coffee. They stayed in silence until the drinks were brought and Russell leaned back and watched as Greg stared sadly into his cup as if the granules, like tea leaves, would tell him what to do.

"You know I erm… I read this great book last night" Russell said as he picked up his cup and took a sip.

Greg looked up at him in an attempt to be interested "Really?" he said.

"Oh yeah, it was very intesterting, factual as well as entertaining. I just couldn't put it down. My wife eventually had to take it off me so I'd go to sleep. I finished it this morning." Russell said.

Greg didn't at all see were this was going. "Sounds good, what book was it?"

"Actually I brought it with me" Russell said ducking under a table and bringing out a bag he'd been carrying. "I wondered if you'd heard of it" with that he took the book out of the bag and handed it over to Greg.

The younger man's eyed widened as he looked down at the book he had written. "Is this some kind of joke?" Greg asked with a nervous laugh.

"No, not at all. It's very good. The writer is obviously very passionate about the subject matter and there's a lot of confidence in what he says. He must have put a lot of hard work into his research and he's very witty too. He obviously put his heart and soul into this… and so I wonder why I caught him throwing it in the trash last night?"

"Well, maybe it's because he just can't bring himself to care anymore" Greg replied as he looked into Russell's eyes. There was an even deeper sadness in the younger man's eyes which D.B had never hoped to see. "Maybe he was so obsessed with this history because he was too busy trying to deny his own. Maybe he was happy at the time…but now he sees all the misery this book has caused…and it wasn't worth that misery." Greg said this all with very little emotion, before he handed the book back over to Russell.

"Well, I think that's very sad." DB said sincerely. "Greg, what happened to Alison was…_awful. _But you cannot blame yourself."

"Why not?" Greg said a little loudly "If I had never written this stupid thing then she would still be alive!"

"How could you have possibly known what was going to happen, huh?" Russell asked. "What that psycho did to her, was not your fault, he was a sick and twisted man Greg, you know that"

"I know!" Greg all but yelled before resting his elbows on the table and burying his head in his hands. "I know, I know, I know" he mumbled. Russell gave the younger man a sympathetic smile, before moving round and placing a comforting hand on his back.

"You should be proud of this, Greg" D.B said indicating to the book. "It takes a lot of skill and courage to be a successful writer."

Greg scoffed "Please, about 5 people have probably read it" he replied plainly. "But I don't really care. And you know what, I _was_ proud, I was _proud_ of this. I worked hard, you know. I didn't do if for the extra couple of dollars, I wrote it because I _love_ history. Just as long as _one_ person, read it and _liked _it… that was success enough for me. But this book, has brought me more pain than a feeling of success."

"Well… I read it" Russell pointed out "And I _really_ liked it. You know, I haven't been in Vegas that long and I learnt_ so_ much. I would never have thought some of the stuff you wrote about had actually happened here. It opened my eyes to what an amazing place this is. And because I knew more…your book made Vegas feel a little more like home." Russell told Greg genuinely.

"Russell, you don't have to say that just because we're friends…"

"Greg, I'm serious. You know me, if I don't like something, I'll say it. I'm not one to keep my opinions to myself" D.B. said with a chuckle.

Greg smiled, a genuine smile. "Thanks Russell, that means a lot. It's just going to take some time to get over this."

"I know, and I'll support you throughout" Russell said with a smile. He patted Greg on the back and moved back round the booth. "Say, I don't suppose I can get you to sign this for me?" he said tapping the book.

"What?" Greg said in disbelief.

"Well when you become a famous write I want to tell everyone I was the first person to get your autograph" Russell said handing over a pen "I know it'll be worth something someday."

Greg started laughing "Okay, sure" he said with a grin has he wrote in the book. "To, DB Russell, Thank you for all the support you gave me, and helping me to start believing in myself again. Greg, Sanders." He said aloud as he scrawled the words.

"You're very welcome" Russell said with a smile and took back the book. "So, when can I expect the sequel?"

* * *

**Hehe, I had a lot of fun writing this one. I just love the friendship between Greg and Russell! So, I hope you liked it too. **

**Reviews and Prompts would be awesome :)**

**Until next time, live long and prosper! ;) xx**


	31. Freezing

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks so much for your awesome reviews; I really like the Russell and Greg bond too ;) Now, a while back ****McGeeklove****r asked me to do a one shot about Greg being trapped in the freezer in 13x02, but I hadn't seen the episode then. Now I have, I thought I'd give it a shot. I've seen a couple of versions of this story and they're all very sad :(, so I guess my version is sad to a degree but I put a bit of a spin on it :P**

**Summary – Greg gets trapped inside the freezer during 13x02.**

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**Freezing **

Greg was not happy about having to process the freezer. He was used to living in hot areas, and therefore hated the cold, such as what he was exposed to when visiting family in Norway. He was wary of the fact Vincent had already been locked inside and didn't want the same to happen to him, but by feeling this he feared he was tempting fate. This was proved when the door nearly closed the first time, but he managed to get a crate to prop it open. The second time however, Greg felt his heart sink as he realised he was too late and the door was already locked.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. _Just my luck. _The CSI pulled his phone and found the battery was dead. "Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me" he grumbled. Greg could feel himself beginning to shiver already.

There was no other means of escape he could see, but he wouldn't start to lose it just yet. _Some may argue you lost it _years_ ago. _He thought to himself with a lopsided smile, Greg would always rely on his optimism and sense of humour to see him through.

"Where's Nick and his muscle when I need him" he said to himself as he folded his arms and rubbed them furiously as he sized up the heavy door. Greg figured if he tried to run at it and push, he'd probably dislocate his shoulder. Instead he started banging on the door "Finn!" he called, knowing the older woman should be just outside. After 2 minutes he gave up.

Greg puffed air in his cheeks and turned to rest the back of his head aginst the door. He let the air escape and watched his icy breath disappear before him. The CSI closed his eyes as he kept his arms folded tight across his powerfully shivering frame as his teeth began to chatter.

"You're fine" he told himself quietly "You're fine, you're fine, they'll realise your gone soon and they'll come get you. You're fine; just remember those warm beaches in California." This self-pep talk only helped a little, as Greg prised his eyes open again from fear they might freeze shut. "Might as well do some work, you've got nothing better to do" he reminded himself as he began to carefully study the contents of the cold monster which had captured him.

After a while, Greg found it hard to walk properly as he was shivering too hard, so he sat down at the back of the freezer and curled himself into a protective ball, trying to keep in as much heat as possible. _See, if you'd have just listened to your mother and ate more, you'd have more fat to keep you warm you scrawny geek!_ Greg berated as he tried to blow hot air into his shivering hands, but it didn't help much.

The CSI guessed he'd been inside for easily 15 minutes now. He had found a video camera near the beginning, and was more concerned about getting that into evidence before anything happened to it. Greg was somehow shivering even harder than before and his breathing was growing laboured. 20 minutes in and the cold was starting to take its toll on his brain and judgement.

"Oh God, I'm so drunk!" the man slurred. It was the only logical explanation he could come up with now for feeling this way. "Russell will be so mad, I can't work when I'm drunk!" the CSI slapped his numb cheek "Gotta sober up Greg, can't let the other's see you like this, oh God I'm in so much trouble!"

Nick had finally wondered back into the diner, to see if Greg and Finn were ready to head back to the lab yet. He found Finn still taking blood samples and she seemed deeply engrossed in her work.

"Hey, you nearly done?"

"Yep" the female CSI replied.

"Where's Greg?" Nick asked.

"He went to process the walk-in" Finn looked down at her watch "Whoa, that was a half hour ago…" the older CSI frowned.

"Huh? What is it, what's wrong?" Nick asked frantically. The uneasy look on Finn's face was making him worried.

"Well I haven't seen Greg in that whole half hour…" Finn said quietly. She trailed off at the end as both CSI's had the same horrific thought.

Finn and Nick quickly dashed to the freezer and their worst nightmare was realised. The door was definitely locked. Nick ripped it open with all his strength and the sight which lay in front of the CSI's was heart-breaking.

Greg was curled in on himself as small as possible, as he shivered violently and mumbled quietly to himself.

"Greg!" Nick exclaimed as he ran towards the man he loved like a little brother.

"Nick, help me" Greg mumbled, not sure if he was just hearing voices. "Nick, help me, please help me"

"Hey, hey Greggo it's alright" Nick said gently placing a hand on the younger man's arm, as if he feared it would snap off from frost bite. "I'm here, don't worry"

"Oh, God Nick" Greg moaned, he sounded like he was going to cry. "I-I'm sorry I got so d-drunk, please do-don't be mad at me"

"Drunk? What are you…never mind now just hang on buddy." He turned to Finn. "Please can you go to my truck, there's a sweater and a rug maybe in the trunk"

"Yeah, sure" Finn said and ran off.

"Nick?" Greg said if asking if his friend was still there "Please, I'm so cold"

"I know, I know I'm going to get you out right now" Nick said as he placed one arm around Greg's back and one under his knees.

"Whoa, Nick I love you man, but not in that way" Greg said in what did indeed sound like a drunken ramble. Nick couldn't help but roll his eyes and smile a little as he lifted the younger man up and carried him out the freezer.

"Dude, how can you weigh practically nothing when we eat here like all the time?" Nick asked.

"Don't, you sound like my mother. And please don't tell her I was drunk " Greg moaned as his head rolled forward and Nick laughed a little. The Texan placed the younger man down out of the way of the evidence.

Finn returned with the sweater which she helped Greg put on, and then Nick wrapped the rug around him.

"Thanks you guys" Greg said as he closed his eyes and pulled his knees up as he rest against the wall. "But I still feel like a penguin, how the hell do they survive that weather?"

"Maybe some extra body heat will help?" Finn suggested.

"Oh Finn, I thought you'd never ask" Greg said with a weary smile but he still had his eyes shut.

"Do you think it _was _possible for him to get drunk in that freezer?" Nick asked with a smile "Or is he just al little delusional and well…out of whack?"

"Yes, the cold has probably messed with his brain. I'd say he has a mild case of hyperthermia" Finn said concernedly. "Maybe we should take him to a hospital?"

"No!" Greg exclaimed much to their surprise "I am not going to the hospital. I am fine. Nick, you shall be my hot water bottle, forever" he said tiredly before suddenly flinging his arms around the Texan and burying his head in the older man's shoulder.

"Sure thing Greggo" Nick said with a light chuckle as he wrapped his arms tightly around the younger man. "Anything to make you feel better"

After that, Finn went off to the freezer to try and figure out what happened, but said she wouldn't enter if possible.

"Man, you're like a human popsicle" Nick said as he rest his head on top of Greg's frozen hair. "I'm sorry Greg, this is all my fault."

"What? Why?" Greg mumbled.

"Because, I didn't check on you" Nick said, his voice heavy with guilt. "You could have died…" the Texan shook his head, it wasn't worth thinking about.

"Hey, hey, It's no one's fault except the stupid freezers" Greg said. His words seemed more controlled, like he was coming back to normal. "I knew you'd rescue me Nick, you said you'd always protect me."

"And I meant it too" Nick said, holding the younger man close still.

"Thank you…for being warm" Greg mumbled.

Nick let out a light laugh "You're welcome Greggo"

* * *

**So yeah, obviously I couldn't do it without a little bromance ;) In the other versions I've seen (which I really liked) Greg ended up in hospital, so I needed to try something different :P**

**P.S. *spoiler alert* 'Forget Me Not' aired in the UK last week, what an absolutely incredible episode! Really sad Sara and Grissom aren't together anymore though :( I have had a request for a story on the episode so watch out for that soon ;)**

**Until next time! **


	32. Family Discoveries

**A/N: Hey! Because I got such lovely comments on the story I posted yesterday, you're getting another today ;) This was from a prompt I received based on Greg making a family discovery after Donna visited this season. The comment she made at the end got me thinking and well, I haven't done a Morganders in a while, so here you are! :) **

**Summary – After Donna made the comment about Greg and Morgan being possible relatives, Greg makes an interesting discovery with interesting consequences… Morganders :)**

* * *

**Family Discoveries **

Nick was sat in the break room one evening, drinking his coffee and reading a newspaper, when Greg stormed into the room and slammed a file down on the table. Nick raised an eyebrow at him and was surprised to see the disheartened look on the younger man's face.

"Did we finally get a new case?" Nick asked. It had been a slow night and he assumed there were some case details in the file.

"No, this is _my_ case" Greg emphasised as he sat down heavily in a bit of a huff.

Nick looked surprised at his friend again "Didn't your mother ever tell you to share?" he teased, and Greg gave him an unimpressed look.

"Well, it's not really a case, more just…research" Greg explained more calmly as he sat up and turned to face Nick.

"Research on what?" Nick asked curiously as he put down his paper.

"I can't tell you" Greg said like a little child with a secret. Nick rolled his eyes. "Seriously! If I told you, you'd just call me crazy and laugh at me"

"Oh Greg, I already know you're crazy, and I laugh at you all the time" Nick said with a slightly patronising smile, and Greg just pouted at him in a sulk. "Come on man, you know you can tell me anything" Nick told the younger man in all seriousness.

Greg sighed in defeat and Nick smiled. He knew it would work, Greg had always had a trouble with keeping secrets and he was obviously itching to share what he had found.

"Okay, you know two days ago my genealogy friend, Donna, came by and helped with that case?" Greg asked. Nick nodded. "Well she told Morgan and me that we both come from a Norwegian heritage and that we could…_kissing cousins_" he said in quotation marks.

"So?" Nick asked, not sure where Greg was going with this.

"So!?" Greg repeated in mock outrage "So, I couldn't marry my cousin, Nick!"

The older man chuckled "What? Come on Greggo, you wouldn't be _literal_ cousins…. Wait, you're not even dating yet, and you're saying you couldn't _marry_ Morgan?"

Greg blushed and started looking through the files in front of him. "Shut up, that's not the point" he mumbled in deep embarrassment and Nick started laughing. "Anyway…it got me a little worried" he continued after Nick had calmed himself. "So, I researched into it. I found out that our families aren't related, _but,_ they did know each other"

Nick seemed more intrigued now, as the younger man placed a sheet down in front of him. "This is a diary entry from _my_ great great-grandmother." Greg explained "She says that her husband – my great-great grandfather- was murdered by this man" he placed a picture of a painting down. "_This_, is _Morgan's_ great-great Uncle"

Nick's eyes grew wide "What are the chances?" he said quietly as he studied the material.

"Oh, it gets better" Greg said, placing another diary entry down. "This is from Morgan's other great-great Uncle, saying that in revenge, _my_ family organised a heist on the mining company the Ecklie's owned and stole over _half a million_ dollars' worth of goods. Our families back then were like different gangs in a Norwegian version of the Mafia"

"So what you're saying is, _your _family, and _Morgan's _family, have supposedly been enemies for over a hundred years?" Nick asked, making sure he'd understood.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying" Greg said sounding disappointed. "It's like… Morgan is a Capulet and I'm a Montague. It would be wrong for us to be together given the seriousness of our families' histories"

Nick smirked "Seriously, you're comparing yourself to Romeo and Juliet?" Greg just raised his eyebrows at him "Come on Greg, like you say, this is ancient history, you're families don't still hate each other…do they?"

"Well, I don't know. My Papa Olaf was a big business man, and so naturally he had some enemies. It's part of the reason my family moved to America. Maybe one of those enemies was the Ecklie family."

"So you're worried that if you date Morgan, you'll be betraying your families?" Nick asked.

"Yes" Greg said sadly "You know how much my Norwegian heritage means to me"

"Really?" Nick said not being convinced "Can you speak Norwegian?"

"Yes, of course I can!" Greg persisted.

"Just knowing the swear words doesn't count, dude" Nick jibed.

Greg looked offended "I can _to_ speak Norwegian! I mean… I know enough…some parts… a little… I have to know, some of my family don't speak English!" he defended. "Besides, I can know and love where I come from without speaking the language fluently, thank you very much"

"Alright, alright I'm sorry" Nick said raising a hand in defence. "I _do _know your Papa Olaf and that whole part of your families means a lot." Greg seemed satisfied with this, offering himself a silent win.

"It is fascinating I'll give you that…maybe you should share it with Morgan?" Nick suggested.

Greg shook his head "No, she'll just think I'm crazy"

"Greg, I once caught you checking out a girls epitheliums under a microscope" Nick said with a smile and Greg blushed again "So, this isn't the weirdest thing you've ever done for a girl"

Greg bit his bottom lip in thought "Okay, maybe I will tell her, it is pretty strange after all, how over a hundred years later, our families meet again like this…"

* * *

After their shift, Greg offered to get him and Morgan some breakfast and explained he had some things to show her. Morgan as always, was very curious, and she also liked the idea of some alone time with Greg. The pair had been sat in break room for just over half an hour, as Greg explained what he had found. Morgan's eyes grew wide and to Greg, they sparkled in amazement.

"Wow…this is so interesting… and strange" Morgan said after Greg finished explaining "I guess by right, we should hate each other" she joked, but Greg looked a little disappointed. "I can't believe you went to all this effort...even if it's kind of bad news, it was sweet of you" she said with a softs mile and Greg's heart fluttered.

"Oh, it was nothing…" Greg said trying to play it down, but really he was getting a little excited. "You know if we were to date, they would have seriously frowned upon it" Greg added casually and Morgan looked at him with her head slightly tilted.

"Yeah…you could say it would just be completely… _wrong_" she said seductively.

Greg was being drawn to her flirtatious tone and look as he found himself leaning a little closer "Or I guess, you could even say it was…_forbidden_" he said in almost a whisper, before Morgan pulled him forward the rest of the way and they kissed passionately.

Nick, who had been stood close by, heard the whole thing "Smooth Greg" he said with a smile and a shake of his head before walking away.

"Erm, what's going on in there?" Sara asked in astonishment as she caught up to him.

"Well, for never was a story of more woe, than this of Morgan and her Greggo." Nick said with an all-knowing smile, but Sara just looked confused.

* * *

**Haha so this was just a bit of fun really :P It was quite a hard prompt for me, and I tried to think of something serious, but I couldn't and so this just kind of happened XD I feel like the majority of people have had Romeo and Juliet forced upon them at some point, so why not ;)**

**Reviews are welcome, and I'm working my way through these prompts now so more would be brill :) xx **


	33. Bonding

**A/N: Hello! This is a prompt from ****sincerely-scripted**** who asked for a story about Sara and Morgan. A bit of hurt/comfort and a bit of humour at the end at the expense of Nick and Greg, hope you enjoy ;) It was**** Smuffly**** who originally gave me the idea for a prank. If you love CSI:NY, check out her Adam and Lindsay prank series, hilarious! XD **

**Spoilers from 'Forget Me Not!' Slight mentions of Sandle, GSR, and Morganders. **

**Summary – Sara and Morgan bond over a much needed talk, and then a much needed prank…**

* * *

**Bonding**

It had been 3 days since Sara's encounter with Ronald Basderic. Hertalk with Greg and Nick had made Sara feel a lot better, but now as she sat alone in the break room on that very slow day, she couldn't help but let her mind wonder back to recent events, and this caused her to think about how much she missed Grissom even more.

"I am so _bored_!" Morgan Brody exclaimed as she entered the room. "There aren't even any reports to fill in. I just stood for nearly an hour and listened to Hodges explain to me what the difference is between Star Wars and Star Trek!"

Sara laughed "You must have been desperate" she joked.

"Definitely" Morgan replied.

The younger CSI sighed and plopped herself down in a chair opposite. She sighed and sulkily propped her head in her hand. Morgan looked over and gave Sara a sad frown, as the older woman looked down into her coffee cup and stirred it absentmindedly. She seemed very distant. Morgan sat up straight to indicate she was about to say something serious.

"Sara…." Morgan started; the older CSI lifted her head to show she was listening. "I'm sorry about what happened with you and Grissom and…I'm_ really_ sorry about what I said, I didn't mean..."

"Morgan" Sara said raising her hand "It's fine, really, don't mention it"

"Are you sure? I feel guilty…"

"Well you shouldn't" Sara reassured her. "Honestly, it's fine." Morgan gave a small smile and seemed to relieve a little.

As Sara looked at the younger CSI she realised in the near two years Morgan had worked there, Sara didn't feel like they had actually _talked._ Every conversation she could remember having with Morgan was work related, and it was very rare they were alone together. And right now, Morgan looked like she wanted to just _talk._

"How are you liking Vegas?" Sara asked.

Morgan looked slightly taken aback, having similar views with Sara as to how often they talked. "Well…it's awesome!" Morgan replied eagerly and Sara smiled. "I thought it would be tough, I mean my confidence was really knocked when I lost my LA job but, I've learnt a lot here and I've made friends who I love so much" she said this with a bright smile on her face and Sara could see how much each member of the team meant to the younger woman.

"I felt exactly the same way when I was the new girl. I moved in from San Francisco." Sara explained. "When I first arrived here…it was hard. Catherine and I did _not_ get on" she said this with a light laugh as she thought about how close she and Catherine had turned out in the end. "But I've always respected her. I was younger, so naturally I looked up to her for her experience. After that, we grew really close despite the age gap, and now she's one of my best friends."

"Well, that's like me and you then" Morgan said happily. But then her face fell as she feared she'd spoke too soon and Sara didn't feel the same. "I mean, I've always liked you…"

"Yeah, it's nice to mentor another woman in this profession" Sara said with a reassuring smile. She sipped her coffee thoughtfully "I always wanted a sister you know" she added with a wink and Morgan seemed to brighten again.

"What about Nick and Greg?" Morgan asked "Have you known them for a long time too?"

"Yes they were already working here when I arrived." Sara explained. "Nick hasn't changed much. He still looks after me and I'm sure he always will. He was the first one to actually say 'hi' to me and just _talk_ to me, you know?" Morgan nodded, Nick had been one of the first people she'd talked to as well. "He's always done his best for Greg and me, and he's already taking you under his wing too"

"Yeah, I like having Nick like a big brother" Morgan confessed. "I don't have any siblings, so it's great I feel I finally have some. And I'm glad my dad and I are having a second chance, but it's also nice to be welcomed into a warming family, even if they're not related by blood."

"Yeah, we are a family" Sara said proudly. "Now, Greg, he has changed, a _lot_. He's matured so much, I feel like I've watched him grow up. I mean, when I meet him I just remember thinking he was so..._cute_, like I wanted to pinch his little cheeks" Sara motioned with her hands and Morgan giggled. "And then I found out he had this _huge _crush on me… "Sara stopped, and wondered if she'd said too much, not really sure what the current status was with Greg and Morgan.

Morgan didn't seem fazed though "Aww that's so sweet."

"Yes but, I turned him down…" Sara added a little sadly. "Sometimes, I wonder if I would be happier right now if I'd given Greg a chance." She said seriously "I use to tell myself, 'yeah, I could learn to love him in that way' but… I loved Grissom and Greg's like my little brother." She looked up at Morgan's saddened face. "Don't just wonder like I did…give Greg a chance"

Morgan sat in a stunned silence. She was tempted to plead ignorant and pretend she had no idea was Sara was talking about, but it was like the older CSI had read her mind. Morgan had been wondering for a while now what would happen if she was to date Greg, and now on the advice of the woman she viewed as an older sister, Morgan felt she was finally ready to find out…

"I think I will" Morgan told her with a reassuring smile and Sara smiled back.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Morgan let out a sigh "Come on, there must be _something _fun we can do around here"

"Well, you're asking the wrong person" Sara said with a wary smiled "Nick and Greg often tease me for being no fun"

Morgan scoffed "Well we best prove them wrong then….I'm thinking revengeful prank" she said with a wicked grin.

"Sounds interesting" Sara said placing her coffee cup down. "Where are they now anyway?"

"Oh, they pulled a double so I just saw them sleeping on the couch in the break room" Morgan explained to her.

Sara grinned "I got an idea."

* * *

Sara and Morgan stood with their arms folded as they observed the two men asleep on the sofa. Nick was to the right with his elbow on the arm of the chair and his head propped in his hand. Greg was next to him with his head back, and arms crossed.

"Nick, Greg!" Sara said loudly but neither man stirred. "Told you they sleep like rocks"

"Let's do this" Morgan said with an evil grin and the woman got to work as they gently began to reposition the men on the sofa.

After a while they stepped back and admired their handiwork. Greg was now leaning on Nick's shoulder and his hand had been repositioned to rest on Nick's thigh. Nick's arm had been placed around Greg's waist, his hand between the buttons on the younger man's shirt so he was touching Greg's chest. Their heads had been turned to face each other, so their lips were just centimetres apart.

"Very intimate" Morgan concluded as the women tried hard not to laugh. Morgan took out her phone and got a few pictures.

"Hey!" Sara yelled loudly and this finally got both the male CSI's attention.

The reaction was slow at first, with both men struggling to prise their eyes open. When they finally did wake, Nick and Greg looked into each other's eyes for a moment before it registered how close they were. Both pairs of eyes grew wide. Morgan and Sara stood snickering at them.

"Nick…why is your hand in my shirt?" Greg asked slowly and confused.

Nick quickly pulled it back "I d-don't know…" he said sounding very shocked. "I mean we didn't…we didn't…" they both moved as far away from each other as possible looking absolutely mortified and blushing furiously from embarrassment. It was then Morgan and Sara couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing.

"You!" Both men exclaimed at the women, sounding outraged.

"And _that's_ for ever suggesting Sara was boring!" Morgan giggled.

"Yeah, so you better be nice to us, or else these might get out" Sara said smugly as Morgan showed them the photos. Nick and Greg both looked horrified.

"You wouldn't dare" Nick said fearfully.

"You want a bet?" Morgan said, her finger hovering over the send button.

"Don't worry, we'll have our revenge" Greg said glaring at the women.

"We'll see" Sara said confidently, as Morgan laughed again and they high-fived in triumph.

Both women had had fun spending time together that day, and they were sure it wasn't the last prank they would pull together…

* * *

**I LOVED writing this one, the original girl and the new girl, it was such an interesting relationship to write about and I feel they don't get enough screen time together! Also, my first one shot with Sara really in it. Gotta admit, I didn't like Sara much when I first started watching CSI, but she's grown on me loads ever since and I can't imagine it without her again XD**

**Prompts and Reviews would be awesome :) xx **


	34. The Time Is Irrelevant

**A/N: Hey guys! So sorry it took me a while to do this one. A Sara, Nick, and Greg 'Forget Me Not' one shot as requested by ****starfire25.**** I wanted to get it perfect, because it was such a sad, moving, but lovely episode at the end. So I played around with a few ideas before I thought, yeah, this is good, so I hope you agree!**

**Mentions of GSR and Sandle. Obviously, spoilers from 13x15. **

**Summary – Sara, Nick and Greg think about their friendship and the events of 'Forget Me Not'. The male CSI's go to give Sara some much needed comfort.**

* * *

**The Time Is Irrelevant **

Sara Sidle couldn't sleep. She sat in her living room flicking through the channels on her TV, hoping that the meaningless white noise would help drown out her thoughts. She finally stopped when she came across the discovery channel. A programme about bugs in the African rain forest was on. Bugs. Sara felt tears begin to form in her tired eyes.

"This is ridiculous" she mumbled to herself before shutting off the TV and pulling her knees up into her chest.

It had been two days since her whole episode with Ronald Basderic. Two days since she told Nick and Greg her and Grissom were no longer a couple. Sara didn't want them to feel they had to pick a side; Nick and Greg had been Grissom's protégés and friends for many years, she was more than happy for them to continue being friends. They could never make her feel betrayed, not after all they did for her.

Sara just couldn't stop thinking about her estranged husband. It didn't seem right. Sara had fought for so many years for that man to let his emotional barriers down, to let her into his unusual little world. Now all that pain of longing but never getting just seemed like a waste of time. Their whole team had been through a lot over the years, and Grissom was always Sara's rock. She could always depend on him to be there no matter what; to pull through for them all in the end, but now there was just an empty hole in her life that she wasn't sure could ever be fixed.

Sara was just glad that she had Nick and Greg. Her big brother and her little brother.

Nick had welcomed Sara from day one and taken care of her. Warrick and Catherine had been understandably hostile at first, and Grissom was wrapped up in the case. Nick was her friendly competition; sure they fought sometimes, but then which brother and sister didn't? But one thing Sara did know about Nick was that he would protect her, whether the threat was physical or mental. When Nick had told Basderic he wouldn't let the psycho hurt Sara, she wanted to hug the Texan there and then, tell him she loved him and appreciated everything he'd done for her, and would undoubtedly continue to do.

Greg…oh Greg, he had been a little awkward at first. In a cute way though, he would stumble his words in front of Sara and it took a while for him to be able to look her in the eye. Sara was awfully flattered by his nervousness, but she had reassured him there was no need and she would like to spend more time with him, they had been best friends ever since. Sara knew Greg had a crush on her early on, and it pained her to think how much she must have hurt the young man, but she knew she would have hurt him more, with her feelings for Grissom being so strong. Now they had both matured, Greg probably a lot more, and they enjoyed the sibling bond that they had.

Just the thought of the events of the past few days was really wearing Sara out. But she couldn't sleep, not yet, not when she had tears heavy in her eyes which she refused to let fall. Sara sniffed and looked at the clock. 3 AM. That wouldn't matter. She picked up her phone.

* * *

Nick Stokes couldn't sleep. He sat in a 24 hour diner staring down absently into his coffee as the cream spiralled around hypnotically, but not even that made the Texan want to sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about Sara and how she must be feeling right now.

He also couldn't believe he'd come so close to losing his little sister like that. But when he'd told Basderic he wouldn't let him hurt Sara, Nick had never been so serious in his life. He loved her and cared about her too much, plus in the past…well he felt he'd let her down. He felt he'd let Sara and Greg down on numerous occasions, in times when they'd needed his protection, but he hadn't been there. Nick had always had his older sibling's protection growing up, now he wanted to impart that to his own adoptive brother and sister.

But it wasn't just a one way thing, Sara and Greg had always been there for him too. They had seen Nick in his darkest hours, and they would still be able to bring him from the pits of despair. And now he needed to be there for Sara.

He couldn't even begin to imagine what being part of a broken marriage must be like. The Texan was convinced that Sara and Grissom would be together til death did they part; after all they had been through. Nick was being deeply sincere, when he said he felt Grissom and Sara's marriage kept their old mentor around, and now all connection was gone…well Nick realised for the first time just how independent of a CSI he had become, and that was all thanks to Grissom. He wondered how Grissom was taking this? But Nick would stay with Sara now, and support her, because the distress of separation was not something he could easily protect her from.

Nick sighed and sat back in his seat, tapping the spoon absentmindedly against the table top. He glanced down at his watch. 3 AM. He should sleep. The CSI's phone went off and he read the message. Nick immediately grabbed his coat and headed to his truck. Sleep could wait.

* * *

Greg Sanders couldn't sleep. The CSI tossed and turned in his bed as he tried to get comfortable, but he couldn't stop thinking about Sara. It used to be he couldn't stop thinking about Sara, because he wanted to wake up next to her every morning and see her bright smile and relaxing eyes. But now Greg couldn't stop thinking about her because she was still extremely upset, and he felt he should be doing more to help. His role as little brother, was to cheer Sara up and make her laugh and smile again, but instead the female CSI just looked like she wanted to cry, and that made Greg upset too.

It had taken Greg a little while to accept that Sara would never see him as more than a little brother. It was never love, he thought…just a huge crush, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt Greg any less. But Grissom made Sara feel happy and complete in away Greg never could, and all Greg had wanted was Sara's happiness. He had liked how their bond had developed over the years, Sara had always had his back, Nick too….Greg may biologically be an only child, but he felt lucky to have surrogate siblings like Nick and Sara to protect him, even if it was a little _over_ protective sometimes.

However, Greg believed that just because he was youngest, didn't mean he couldn't be protective in return. When he thought about the miniature killer and what she did to Sara…when he thought about Walter and Kelly Gordon and what they did to Nick… it made Greg really mad. The grip on his pillow tightened at the thought, and it took a _lot_ to get Greg mad. His family meant the most to him in the world, and Nick and Sara had always been a part of that.

Greg sighed as he turned onto his side and looked at his clock. 3AM. _Great._ Suddenly, his phone vibrated on his bedside table, and Greg read the message through squinted eyes. It only took him a few seconds to come to his senses before he was finding some more clothes to put on. Sleep could wait.

* * *

Sara looked up when she heard the knock at the door. Tears were streaming down her face and she couldn't find the will to move. Eventually, the door opened to reveal very concerned looking Nick and Greg. Sara sniffed and tried to wipe the tears away. She was normally so much stronger than this.

"I'm so sorry about this, I know it's late…" she whispered as the two men came towards her "It's just…I…I really need you guys right now" Sara buried her head in her hands and continued to cry.

Nick slowly sat down beside Sara, wrapping his arms around her and pulling the younger woman towards his chest. Greg sat down on the other side of her, lifting Sara's arm to trail around his neck, and resting his head on her shoulder. Sara squeezed his shoulder in thanks.

"We're always going to be here for you Sara" Nick promised "Always" he extended his arm slightly to invite Greg into his protective hold too, indicating the same went for him.

"Yeah, no matter when, no matter what" Greg whispered wrapping an arm across Sara's waist.

"Thanks you guys. I love you so much, don't ever forget that"

"We love you too Sara" Nick assured her and Greg nodded in agreement into the female CSI's shoulder.

Suddenly, Sara Sidle felt more at ease. She had her big brother to her left for protection, and little brother to the right to make her smile. She could never truly be sad, not when they were around.

* * *

**So I am aware the ending it like ultra-mushy, but that's kind of what I was going for. I just wanted to get across the sibling love XD Also, I haven't really written about GSR before, so I hope Sara's thoughts and her reaction were still like Sara, if that makes sense :P I hope you liked!**

**Running low on prompts now, so more would be awesome!**

**Please Review :) xx **


	35. Part 1: Birthday Blues

**A/N: Heyy guys! Sorry it's been so long since I posted one of these, but I will reach 101, and who knows, I may keep going ;) Thank you as always for the great feedback, I really appreciate it. This is a prompt from ****McGeeklover****, who asked for drugged Greg. Again, this will be a two parter! A good prompt to work with :) Enjoy!**

**Summary – Nick and Warrick take Greg out, but when Greg starts to act strangely is he drunk, or is there something else going on which will put the young CSI in danger?**

* * *

**Birthday Blues **

Greg Sanders groaned in protest as his friends Warrick Brown and Nick Stokes practically dragged him down the street looking for a club for them to hang out.

"Come on guys, I told you I don't want to celebrate" Greg told them for what felt like the thousandth time.

"It's your big 3-0 Greggo!" Nick reminded him happily "You gotta let us buy you at least a _few_ beers"

"But I don't _want_ to celebrate the fact that I'm old now!" the new CSI said, feeling utterly depressed.

"Excuse me, but some of us are knocking on 40!" Warrick reminded him and Greg shrugged sheepishly.

"We might even get you a lap dance" Nick teased.

"Why didn't I just keep my mouth shut" Greg mumbled to himself and rolled his eyes. "Fine, I will have a few drinks with you, but I'm not happy about it and I'd much rather be at home watching the X-files re-runs, eating the cold pizza which is probably stuffed under the couch."

"Ah, the student life" Warrick said nostalgically. "Better grow out of that now Greggo!"

"No, I'm not growing up anymore, I refuse" Greg said stubbornly "this is my last birthday, _ever_"

* * *

Nick and Warrick finally picked out a club they were happy with, and the three CSI's took some stools at the bar. Although Greg hated to admit it, once he had a couple of beers inside him, he was starting to enjoy himself. Maybe celebrating his birthday wasn't so bad after all, since Warrick and Nick were paying as a present.

The conversation was mainly idle, and all talk of work was off the table for the night. But, Greg liked just talking and laughing with his friends again, it was especially nice to see Nick so happy, after the being buried incident had only been a few months before.

"Fancy something a little stronger?" Warrick asked the younger man. Nick had gone off somewhere after claiming he'd just spotted his future wife from across the room.

"Yes please" Greg giggled a little as a placed a hand over his mouth. He'd always been a bit of a light weight, ever since he was 14 and stole a bottle of his Grandfather's whisky.

"Atta boy!" Warrick said patting the younger man on the back "two Scotch on the rocks please" he asked the bartender.

The bartender placed Greg's drink down next to him and another Scotch someone else had ordered. Greg was too busy talking to Warrick to notice that he picked up the wrong drink. The CSI had flung the whole thing back in about 3 seconds. Warrick was impressed.

"Funny, I don't remember it tasting like that" Greg said as he leant on the bar.

Warrick laughed "I don't think you'll be able to remember much buddy!"

Half an hour later and Nick suddenly returned with a disgruntled look in his face. "She's married" he huffed "she could have told me that before I tried to kiss her!"

"Aww Nick man, don't worry about it" Greg said flinging an arm around his friend "It doesn't matter about her, cos I love you man" the young CSI slurred as his head lolled forward. "I love you, and Warrick, like, so much"

The two other CSI's laughed, thinking their friend was just extremely drunk "We love you too Greggo" Nick smiled.

"I wanna dance" Greg suddenly blurted excitedly. "Do you wanna dance? Let's dance!" he stood up practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Just look at all the colours from the lights; oh they're so bright and pretty!"

Warrick and Nick shared a look "Yes very nice, but maybe you should calm down a bit Greggo" Warrick told him.

"No way, it's my birthday!" Greg exclaimed. The music suddenly changed "Oh I love this song!" he exclaimed. The young CSI turned and tapped the woman next to him on the shoulder "Hey, erm I think you're really pretty and erm, I really like you, you want to dance with me?" he pulled some puppy dog eyes "Please, It's my birthday, I'm turning 21"

The woman laughed "Okay, sure" she conceded. Greg whooped happily and then grabbed the woman's hand before leading her to the dance floor. All Nick and Warrick could do was look after their friend in absolute astonishment.

"What the hell have we done?" Nick breathed. "We broke Greg. That innocent kid"

Warrick shrugged "He's having fun, which he seemed pretty determined not the do earlier"

"Yeah, I guess so" Nick said with a sigh as they turned back the bar "I just don't want him to hurt himself is all. I mean, he's hyper when he's sober, this is just ridiculous"

"He'll be fine" Warrick said placing a comforting hand on his friends back. "This is Greg we're talking about, he's crazy, but he ain't stupid."

"Yeah, and he's also like our little brother, Warrick" Nick reminded him "And that means we have to protect him."

"Oh, lighten up will ya!" Warrick said nudging his friends shoulder "the guys just turned 30! He's not a kid anymore, Nick"

"Yeah, I know" Nick said twisting the beer bottle around on the bar. "But he's always going to be a little brother to me"

"Here, here" Warrick said and they tapped their beer bottles together before taking a drink.

* * *

Greg and the girl he'd asked to dance, Natasha, had ended up outside the back of the club, kissing each other passionately.

"I love you so much" Greg said as he pulled away momentarily.

"Sweet, considering we only met twenty minutes ago" Natasha said before they started kissing again. Suddenly Natasha's phone vibrated. She prised herself away for a moment to read the text "Shit, I gotta go into work" she said with a role of her eyes.

"No, don't go" Greg pleaded as he tried to kiss her again, but she just smiled and placed a finger to his lips.

"Call me" she said placing a business card in the pocket of Greg's jeans and hurrying off down the alley.

Greg sighed and slumped to the floor, feeling really sad all of a sudden. "Some birthday this is" he muttered.

The CSI shakily dragged himself to his feet and leaned against the wall for support. When had it gotten so hot? Greg undid a few of the buttons at the top of his shirt to try and get some air in. There was a strange tingling sensation running up and down the CSI's body, similar to when he was on a caffeine rush. But this felt stranger, like Greg didn't have control of his body anymore. Greg's jaw muscles seem to feel tighter as he tried to breath, and his heart rate was going faster.

A cat suddenly ran across the alley, running in between some trash cans as it did so, causing them to wobble and crash into each other.

"What? Who's there?" Greg asked desperately as he looked at the dumpster surrounded by trash cans with wide eyes. "Please, just come out" the CSI begged. A group of people suddenly walked past the other end of the ally laughing. Greg spun round and his breathing hitched "No, please don't hurt me!" he yelled. "I know you're trying to hurt me!"

Scared, the young CSI started running away from the danger he was convinced he was in. The shadows, they were following him, and they wouldn't let him escape. In his fear and desperation, Greg suddenly tripped and smacked his head hard against the ground.

The CSI groaned and turned onto his side. Then, everything went black.

* * *

**Aww poor Greggo, I'm so mean to him :( Will Nick and Warrick find him before something happens? What exactly did happen? Stay tuned to find out more! ;) **

**I'm nearly out of prompts! *gasp* I need more to gobble up please, but I do have some ideas of my own for the time being :)**

**Oh, and there will be a revenge fic following Morgan and Sara's prank on the boys in the previous story ;) **

**Please Review :) xx **


	36. Part 2: Recovery

**A/N: Hey peeps, here is the continuation of the last chapter. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, it means a lot to me :) **

**Summary – Nick and Warrick find out why Greg has been acting so strangely, but will the young CSI be okay? And who is responsible?**

* * *

**Recovery **

"Where is Greg?" Nick asked Warrick as he looked over the dance floor for the sandy haired man. It had been at least an hour since the two older CSI's had seen their younger friend.

"Maybe he got lucky" Warrick said with a lopsided smile before taking another sip of his beer.

"Maybe" Nick mumbled. "But he wouldn't just leave without warning, would he?"

Something wasn't right, Nick could feel it, call it brotherly instinct. Greg had been acting really weird. Most people, like Warrick, would put it down to the alcohol. But Nick had seen Greg drunk before and it usually made the young man really tired, not hyperactive, and he seemed to have gone from tipsy to extremely drunk very quickly.

Warrick rolled his eyes at the concerned look on his friends face "Look, if it'll make you feel better we'll try and find him. But, if we stumble across something we don't want to see, it's your fault"

Nick gave him a thankful smile and the pair checked all around the building, but there was no sight of their young friend anywhere. The CSI's made their way back to the bar. The girl who Greg had asked to dance was just picking up her bag and saying goodbye to her friends before heading over to the exit.

"Excuse me!" Nick called after her, the woman turned to face him. "Our friend who took you to dance, do you know where he is?"

"Oh yeah, Greggo!" the woman sad with a laugh "He's round the back outside, he's a really good kisser" she said biting her lip.

"Good to know" Warrick deadpanned.

"Make sure he calls!" the woman said chirpily before leaving the CSI's still feeling very confused.

"We better go find him" Nick said, still determined to put his worry at bay.

The two CSI's headed out of the club and round to the back alley, where they saw the still figure of their friend sprawled out across the floor.

"Oh my God" Warrick breathed as the pair sprinted over.

"Greggo!" Nick exclaimed as he slid down onto his knees beside his friend. "Hey, Greggo. Can you hear me? Wake up, man" the CSI pleaded whilst Warrick called for an ambulance.

"Man, I don't like the look of that head wound" Warrick said after he'd gotten off the phone.

"Me either" Nick said quietly, his voice plagued with worry. "He's really shivering" the CSI stated as he pulled Greg into his arms and held him tightly for warmth.

Warrick knelt down and felt Greg's pulse "That's strange then, his forehead is sweating and his pulse is going really fast. So, physical symptoms suggest this is an internal thing, not helped by the head wound though. Maybe that girl attacked him." He theorised.

"Oh, come on Greggo" Nick pleaded "Don't do this to us man" he pulled the young man closer still, feeling extremely guilty for not being there to protect Greg like he'd promised to do just minutes ago. "I'm sorry Greg" he whispered, stroking the sweaty strands of hair off the young man's forehead.

"Hey, he's going to be okay" Warrick said placing a comforting hand on Nick's shoulder. "This is Greg Sanders we're talking about, he don't go down easy" Nick wanted to believe him.

5 minutes later, and the ambulance arrived. Nick was reluctant to let Greg go but Warrick finally managed to coax him away. The medics started shouting numbers and words the CSI's didn't really understand, as they strapped Greg onto a gurney.

"You guys coming?" one of the medics asked. Nick and Warrick didn't even hesitate before jumping in to the ambulance, ready to keep watch over their little brother.

* * *

Nick and Warrick had been waiting for nearly two hours when the doctor finally came with some news. Both CSI's jumped up, feeling equally anxious about Greg's condition.

"We checked Mister Sander's system for drugs due to some of the physical symptoms he was displaying and we found high amounts of ecstasy in his system."

"_Ecstasy?_!" Warrick exclaimed in disbelief. Nick had gone pale and speechless "Greg would_ never_ take ecstasy!"

"Well, I'm sorry but that's just what we found" the doctor said. "But, he will make a full recovery; we managed to pump the drug from his system. Judging by his sprained ankle, Mister Sanders fell and hit his head, which caused him to have a mild concussion."

"C-can we see him?" Nick stuttered. He was still feeling utterly shocked.

"Absolutely" the doctor said with a smile and led them into Greg's room.

The young CSI looked awfully pale as he slept. His breathing still sounded a little heavy and his body quivered a little. Nick gave a shaky breath as he sat beside Greg and took hold of his hand, trying to give some warmth. Warrick stood at the end of the bed looking guilty; he'd just assumed the kid was drunk.

"Someone did this to him" Nick seethed angrily "Greg wouldn't just take drugs; someone must have slipped them to him"

"I know, but why, and who?" Warrick questioned "Who would do that to Greg?"

"Someone who may not live another day when I find them" Nick threatened.

The friends sat and simply watched Greg's still form as his chest bobbed up and down; just praying he would wake up soon. Warrick had called to tell the others and promised to keep them informed. It was around 2am when Warrick got a phone call.

"Oh, hey Brass…" the CSI said as he rubbed a tired hand down his face. Nick looked at his friend expectantly as Warrick listened to what the detective had to say. As the talk went on, a deep frown formed on Warrick's face. "Okay, I'll be right there" he said and hung up.

"What was that about?" Nick asked.

"We could have the guy who drugged Greg" Warrick informed him "He just turned himself in."

* * *

Leon Parker was a nervous young man of about 22. He sat anxiously pulling the cuffs of his sleeves down over his hands as Warrick and Brass sat opposite him in one of the interrogation rooms. Leon was shaking with nerves as he bobbed his legs up and down.

"So, you _think t_hat you might have drugged Greg?" Brass asked.

"Yes" the young man replied quietly.

"Why?" Warrick demanded to know.

"The drug, i-it, wasn't meant for your fr-friend" the young man stuttered as he tried to defend himself. "You see, my brother, hi-his girlfriend just broke up with him an-and I wanted to m-make him happy cos he was s-so depressed. So, wh-when I went to get him a drink from the bar I s-slipped some ecstasy into his drink, s-so he'd ge-get on a high, forget about her. But, your friend, I-I think he picked up the wrong drink."

"You could have killed him!" Warrick exclaimed angrily. He couldn't believe one of his best friends was in hospital because a kid had made a stupid mistake "What if he'd OD'd huh? He's in hospital right now with a head injury!"

"I know, I know I'm sorry!" Leon cried as he buried his head in his hands "That's why I had to tell you, I feel so awful!"

"Yeah, well imagine how Greg feels!" Warrick exclaimed.

"Rick, calm down" Brass warned him. "As for you, we may be able to let you off with a fine this time kid, but you ever get caught pulling a stunt like this again, the judge can have you"

"Oh-okay" the young man said as Warrick stood up. "I'm really sorry, I hope your friend is okay"

Warrick just gave Leon a cold look before going outside to call Nick.

* * *

"Alright, thanks Rick" Nick said as Warrick had just explained everything to him over the phone. The Texan was angry at the silly kid who'd done this to Greg, but he would stay by his young friend's side for now. "Come on Greggo, please wake up now" he said tugging on Greg's hand slightly. "I'm so sorry you had to go through this"

A faint whimper passed through Greg's lips as his eyes began to flutter open. "N-Nick?" he whispered, convinced he'd just heard his friend's voice.

"Yeah, I'm here Greggo" Nick said leaning a little closer. "How you feeling?"

"Urgh, my head really hurts" Greg said as he placed a hand on his forehead. "What the hell happened to me?"

"Some kid slipped Ecstasy into his brother's drink at the bar, but you drunk it by accident" Nick explained.

"Oh, God" Greg said running a hand down his face, before letting his arms fall to his sides and sighing. "Well, this is a crappy way to spend my birthday"

"Yeah, I'm sorry man" Nick said. He felt really guilty "Warrick and I feel terrible, if we hadn't have forced you to go out then you wouldn't have ended up here."

"Hey, come on man it's not your fault" Greg reassured him. "I mean, I had a good time! You know, up until the whole being drugged thing. And you know what, surprisingly _not_ the worst birthday I've ever had."

Nick grimaced "Really? What could possibly be worse than this."

"My nineteenth in university we…well that's a story for another time" Greg said with a wave of dismissal. He looked at his friend with sad eyes "I'm sorry too, I know you'll have been worried about me"

"Only a little" Nick lied and Greg gave him a soft smile.

"Well, if you really feel that bad, I expect a huge chocolate cake tomorrow" the junior CSI teased.

* * *

**Pretty crappy ending but the principle was there :P **

**Would love some more prompts guys and gals! **

**Please review :) xx **


	37. Carer

**A/N: What up CSI fans! Thank you so much for the reviews, I'm glad you're still enjoying these little stories of mine, but I wouldn't be able to do them without you guys and your amazing prompts! This prompt comes from ****Vive Amore ****who simply requested some Morganders. So, I hope you enjoy! **

**P.S. *minor spoilers* Oh My CSI God. I LOVED 'Ghosts of the Past'! What an awesome episode for Greg! My heart was pounding like crazy when he went back to the slaughter house, so freakin' intense XD **

**Summary – Greg takes care of Morgan when she's sick. Fluffy Morganders :3**

* * *

**Carer **

Morgan Brody was feeling awful. She had a pounding headache and she couldn't stop sneezing and coughing. Her eyes were red and watering and she had to keep blowing her nose what felt like every 30 seconds. The CSI hadn't suffered this bad from flu since she was 12, and now all she craved more than anything was her mother's chicken noddle soup to make her feel better.

Morgan called DB to tell him she wouldn't make it to work, not wanting to infect anyone else or sneeze all over the evidence. She then called her boyfriend, Greg Sanders ,to tell him so he wouldn't worry, but naturally he did and told her he'd take the night off too to look after her. Morgan smiled at the sweet and caring thought, but she insisted she was probably just going to sleep most of the day anyway. Greg seemed a little hesitant but he eventually accepted Morgan could look after herself, but he said he'd come round after shift all the same.

After that, Morgan ate a light breakfast to keep her going and then clambered back into bed, relishing in the texture of the cool sheets against her slightly fevered skin. She slept for most of the morning, and after that took a blanket down to the sofa, huddling in it and watching crappy day time shows.

It was about 9pm when Morgan got a knock on her door. She got up to answer it after lightly dozing on the couch. She smiled widely when she opened the door to find Greg stood there with a worried frown and a kitchen pot under his arm.

"Hey, Russell let me off a couple of hours early to check up on you" he explained "How you feeling?"

"Better now that you're here" she said with a soft smile wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his sturdy chest, Greg felt cool after being out in the chilly night air.

Greg kissed Morgan softly on the top of her head and frowned "You have a fever? Maybe you should go back to bed"

"It's only a degree or two" Morgan brushed it off and looked up at Greg "You know, if you keep those worry lines on your face you're going to end up looking 10 years older than you actually are" she teased.

"Well I'm sorry Morgan but I love you" Greg said holding her close again "of course I worry about you"

"I love you too" Morgan said hugging him again "But just stop acting like my mom okay!"

"No, I'm acting like _my_ mom" Greg said with a roll of his eyes "If it were me, I'd be in the hospital right now with needles and wires sticking out everywhere"

"Just for a cold?" Morgan asked incredulously. "I won't even ask" she said when Greg gave her a look. "So what's in the pot anyways?" she asked curiously.

"Ah, this is my magic potion" Greg quipped as the pair made their way to Morgan's kitchen.

"So you mix potions and you can talk to ghosts. Is this your way of finally confessing you're a Warlock?" Morgan joked.

"Haha very funny" Greg said dryly, but Morgan could see he was trying to supress a smile. "This _is _one of my Grandmother's creations, but don't worry it's just chicken soup. An Old Norwegian recipe, it's about the only thing I can cook and not burn. It'll fix you right up" he explained.

"Mmm sounds good" Morgan said placing a hand on her hungry stomach. "You know, maybe it was really _you_ I was craving all this time" she said thoughtfully. Greg was a little confused by this but he smiled all the same.

"You go sit down whilst I warm this up" Greg said gently ushering Morgan back towards the sofa "I just want you to rest, watch some TV. I'm here to take care of you now."

"Oh, yes doctor" Morgan said in a seductive tone. Greg went to kiss her but Morgan put her hand up to stop him "No, I don't want you getting sick too" she mumbled.

Greg sighed in disappointment "Alright then, just sit down okay. I'll be back in a few minutes"

"Aye aye Captain" Morgan replied as she flopped back down on the sofa and flicked through the TV channels. Greg returned about 10 minutes later with a bowl of soup for each of them and they sat together on the couch eating. "Greg, this is delicious!" Morgan said.

"Glad you think so" Greg said seeming impressed with himself. "I would hate to not be able to carry on _some_ of my Norwegian heritage. Ya know, since I _don't _have Nana's 'superpowers' " he stressed.

"Mmm, well your grandmother would be proud" Morgan said with a smile. Greg smiled back in appreciation.

After they finished, Morgan went to go clean up, but Greg gently pushed her back down and said he would take care of it. Morgan smiled, feeling she had finally found the perfect man for her. She teasingly asked if this was going to be a permanent thing, Greg washing up, or if it was just because she was sick. Greg didn't reply.

When he was finished, Greg came back to join Morgan on the sofa. He traipsed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her towards him in a soothing embrace.

"So what do you want to do now?" he asked.

Morgan pondered this for a moment "I don't know" she replied.

"Come on, anything you want. I just want to be with you. I'll even sit through one of those chick flicks if you want" Greg offered giving her shoulder a squeeze. "What is it…_The Notebook_ or something?" he teased.

"How soppy do I think I am?!" Morgan replied in mock outrage as she playfully slapped his leg. "I'd much rather watch a film with car chases and explosions. What good is a film if no one dies during a fight for victory?"

"See, I knew I loved you for good reasons" Greg said with a soft smile and went to kiss Morgan once more, but again she pulled back a little to stop him.

"No, I told you. I don't want you to get sick!" she reminded him.

"Well that's a risk I'm willing to take" Greg aid quietly before passionately kissing the woman he loved.

* * *

The next morning and the couple woke up in each other's arms after falling asleep on the sofa, watching an action film Morgan requested. Morgan was the first to wake, her eyelashes tickling Greg's cheek as she came to. The female CSI sighed in relief, she felt much better. Greg was a great healer. To say thank you for his efforts, Morgan decided to get up and make them Eggs for breakfast.

When she returned the female CSI looked at her boyfriend with a worried frown, although she was trying not to laugh.

"I warned you" she said "But you didn't listen!"

Greg had woken up with extremely red looking eyes as he held a palm to his slightly sweating forehead. He then broke out in a fit of sneezing and Morgan handed him a tissue.

"Well, it was worth it" Greg said with a weary smile before dragging Morgan back down onto the sofa with him. He tried to kiss her.

"Erm, no way!" Morgan said in mock outrage "I ain't getting sick again"

"Hey!" Greg said in a slightly offended tone "It's partly your fault I'm like this. I will have revenge" he said with a smirk before tickling Morgan playfully.

"No, stop!" she laughed.

This went on for a few minutes before Morgan leant back with a content sigh. She loved Greg very much and knew he would always be there for her.

In sickness and in health…

* * *

**Oh…what's that I'm hinting at? ;) **

**Wow, I got a really nice set of prompts now, all really different things to work on. Some will be challenging, but I'm totally up for it! So, thanks so much for getting involved. I'm going through prompts in the order I get them at the moment, but do keep them coming!**

**Please Review :) xx**


	38. Disbelieving

**A/N: Bonjour mes amis! Yes, college is finally over for the summer! XD Which means, I can get plenty of writing done! :) So, this is a story for ****Marymel ****She told me about her story **_**Just Stand by Him, **_**were Sara and Grissom talk about Greg in 'FannySmackin'. So I took inspiration from that about what happened after the episode, where Nick and Sara go to see Greg in hospital, because I know how much Marymel loves the relationship between the 3 ;) so I hope you enjoy! **

**Summary – Nick and Sara go to visit Greg in hospital after the events of 'FannySmackin' *spoilers alert***

* * *

**Disbelieving **

Nick wasn't sure he wanted to do this anymore. Perhaps the old saying was true, in that ignorance certainly was blissful. But there was nothing blissful about this. There was nothing even _remotely_ _right _about this. Nothing could prepare the CSI for the sight that would soon haunt his eyes. Nothing Sara or anyone else said. Because Greg Sanders, Nick's _best friend_, his _little brother_ lay beaten like a common punch bag, in a hospital room, alone and quite possibly scared.

Sara had returned back the lab crying_. Sofia Curtis_ had been in tears…it took a lot to hurt Sofia and Sara, probably the strongest women Nick had ever known, and Catherine of course. Nick thought he'd be able to hold it together, but his eyes felt heavy with unshed grief for his hurt friend. Greg Sanders was the_ least _deserving person to have something like this happen too, probably the most innocent of them all, yet it was him who'd had to take the heroic yet tragic fall for the life of a complete stranger. Nick was proud of him for it and almost cursed him for it.

"Sara" Nick spoke as they made their way through the hospital halls. The brunette turned and looked at him with sad eyes. "Is there…is there anything you can say that's going to make this easier?" he was almost pleading for an antidote to the sorrow and rage this was going to bring. "Or will the sight of him like that just break me like I know it will?"

Sara gave a shaky sigh. She had seen Greg, lying there on the floor. She'd had to try and convince herself he wasn't dead, that's how abused Greg had looked. She'd never been so scared yet so infuriated in her life, well, except when Nick had been kidnapped. The CSI family was probably about the only stable family Sara had ever had, and the thought of it being ripped apart…it crushed her. Greg, was the baby of that family, the one they all needed to protect whether he liked it or not, and Sara couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't been there to protect him.

Sara was scared that Greg was never going to be okay again. Sure, the physical scars would eventually heal, but the mental… she couldn't even begin to imagine what the poor young man must be going through right now. She was scared Greg was going to feel alone in all this, and that the rest of the teams comfort wouldn't be enough. Sara would make it her mission to be there day and night, whenever Greg needed her, and she knew Nick would do the same.

Sara was mad that she hadn't been there when Nick and Sofia had arrested the SOB who had led the whole sadistic thing. She kind of envied Nick for being able to punch Cole Tritt in his despicable guts, and wished she'd got some of the action for herself. She'd had to really restrain herself from storming down to the holding cells and blowing the guys brain out. But Sara wouldn't give him the satisfaction; he was going to suffer a hell of a lot worse in prison.

"You're just going to wish you'd punched that bastard a thousand times harder" Sara finally replied quietly and Nick bowed his head with a heavy sigh. Sara placed a comforting hand on his shoulder "Come on, Greg needs us now. He'll be happy to see you" she said with a small smile which Nick tried to return before they continued to their friend's underserved sick bed.

Nick froze at the sight of his broken friend through the window. There didn't seem to be a part of Greg that wasn't swollen, that wasn't shaded blue or purple. Every movement the poor young man made looked like it hurt like hell and the thought made Nick grimace. Had Greg always looked that young? That thin...that lost? The young man's eyes were staring rather fearfully at the door, like he thought the gang might come back to finish the job. It broke Nick's heart, and tears finally slipped from his eyes for the first time throughout this painful ordeal.

Sara opened the door with a shaky hand, plastering on a smile as she did so. "Hey Greg" she said in a fragile tone; as if she feared Greg would just shy away. "I brought someone to see you, thought you'd be sick of just looking at me by now" she joked.

"I could never get sick of you Sara" Greg said with a wary smile. Nick followed the female CSI into the room "Hey Nick" Greg said quietly "I'm so glad to see you"

"I'm glad to see you too buddy" Nick said with quiet a shaky tone. He turned away and wiped the tear dropping down his face.

"Hey man, you're not allowed to cry" Greg teased with a small smile "If you cry, then there is really no hope for the rest of us"

"I'm sorry" Nick mumbled as he sniffed "It's just… I care about you so much, Greg"

"I know you do" Greg said quietly and held out his arm, coaxing Nick into it for a light hug. Nick was very cautious about not hurting his young friend further.

"We brought you some food" Sara said raising the bag once they had settled. "I hear hospital food's not all it's cracked up to be"

"Thanks, but I'm not really hungry" Greg replied with an awkward look.

"Aw come on man, you're already wasting away" Nick said light-heartedly, although he was worried.

"Maybe later" Greg said with a small smile as he looked down at his shaking hands. Sara took them in hers and rubbed her thumbs across them soothingly. "I'm sorry" Greg said with a nervous laugh "I'm being so pathetic"

"No, not at all" Sara told him reassuringly "Everything you're feeling now…it's understandable"

"Mmm, I'm not sure about that" Greg said nervously as he suddenly pulled his hands back and turned away, like he was ashamed to look at his friends anymore.

"What do you mean Greggo?" Nick pressed gently. He knew it would do his friend no good to keep his feelings bottled up.

"He…he's dead" Greg said in an upset whisper. The dam was about to break. "The guy I hit with my car…oh God he's dead" the young CSI cried out and raised his shaky hands to his head as he started to sob uncontrollably.

Sara just sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around the trembling young man, holding him tightly. She wouldn't say she was sorry, because she wasn't sorry that the stupid man was dead.

"He was asking for it Greg" Nick spoke firmly. "It was self-defence. You saved a life and that's all that matters."

"That's what I keep telling myself" Greg replied shakily "But it doesn't make it any easier. It doesn't make me feel any less guilty."

"We felt exactly the same after our first kills" Sara said in hope of some reassurance, Nick nodded in agreement. "But remember, there is _always_ a _very_ good reason why we have to take these people down. We do it because we have to, not for the sake of it."

"I know but…it's just going to take a while for me to come to terms with" Greg replied as he wiped his eyes. "This was supposed to be my first solo case. I was supposed to use it as a chance to show you all I'm truly a CSI now, and that you can depend on me to do a good job." He looked down with a heavy sigh "I guess I screwed that up" he mumbled.

"No Greggo, of course you didn't" Sara said pulling him close again in a one armed hug. "We would never think less of you. You're an awesome CSI, don't ever forget that"

"Yeah, man. We're so proud of you" Nick added. He went to sit on the other side of Greg's bed and wrapped his arm around the man's slender waist. "Now, are you going to eat that food we so thoughtfully paid for, or are we going to have to play 'here comes the airplane' to make you open wide" the Texan quipped. Sara laughed and for the first time so did Greg.

"I think I can manage by myself thanks" the youngest CSI replied with a smile.

So, the 3 friends sat eating together, laughing and talking like any normal family eating a meal. For the first time Greg realised everything would be okay in the end, because his brother and sister would always be there for him. No matter what.

* * *

**So, I hope you liked it, I really wanted to capture Nick and Sara's thoughts and feelings right at the beginning, and their protective nature over Greg. I know this is a cliché story because it's been done many times before, but not by moi! ;)**

**More prompts please, I love seeing what you guys can come up with!**

**Please Review :) xx **


	39. The Other Lab

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for the reviews and following and favouriting and reading, you're the best! This story is for ****Smuffly, ****who requested a follow up to my story **_**New York Meeting, **_**when Greg met Adam Ross (who is my favourite CSI: NY character!) So, a bit of fluffy fun, hope you enjoy!**

**Side Note: Holy Crap O_O the CSI finale…I just…what even…amazing! I can't wait until next year to find out what happens, grrr! XD  
Also, happy birthday for yesterday Eric Szmanda :3 x **

**Summary – Greg runs into Adam at a conference in New York, and Adam is eager to give him a tour of the lab. CSI:NY Xover.**

* * *

**The Other Lab **

Greg had always hated going to conferences. They reminded him too much of lectures in university, the majority of which could be very boring when you were as far ahead of the class as Greg was. He had enjoyed them at first, when he was a rookie, because he learnt a lot of new things about the job and was an avid note-taker, but now they seemed just to drag on.

This time though, Greg was visiting New York, hoping to run into one of his friends. Greg hadn't been back to New York since he'd lived there for a short stint, and he missed it terribly. It was a wonderful city, but now his heart lay with Vegas. Greg had agreed to go to this conference in hope of getting more sight-seeing done, rather than work.

Greg had just come out of one of the seminar halls, wondering what to do next, when he spotted a familiar, mischievous face from across the lobby. Adam Ross was chatting up a girl by the reception desk and she didn't look very impressed. Greg laughed as he watched Adam practically beg for the girl's number before she rolled her eyes and walked away.

Greg approached the New York lab tech from behind "See if that were a Vegas girl, you could have just offered a few shots and breakfast in the morning" he quipped.

Adam spun round and smiled at the sound of the familiar voice.

"Greg!" the lab tech exclaimed happily. They exchanged a quick hug. "It's so awesome we're finally meeting in person!" the two crime workers had met by chance over a chat rhoulelte website, and they had been emailing and video chatting ever since. They'd become good friends.

"Yeah, it's so good to see you" Greg said with a smile. "Are you here with someone?"

"Oh yeah, Mac sent me with Danny. I want to get out in the field more so they bring me to these things to 'gain more experience'" he said making quotation marks and rolling his eyes "Dude, I nearly fell asleep!"

"God, me too, I hate these things!" Greg said with a sigh "I only came for the free buffet"

"Right on" Adam agreed. "So, what else do you have planned whilst you're in New York?"

"Oh just visiting all the places' I use to love when I lived here" Greg explained "I gotta tell ya, I've missed the Big Apple."

"Yeah, but I bet Vegas is pretty sweet too, if you know what I mean" Adam said giving Greg a wink and a nudge. Greg just laughed. "Oh, you have to come back to the lab with me!" Adam said eagerly. "I'll give you the grand tour supreme!"

"Sure, sounds good" Greg said with a smile. The pair went to leave to building "Wait, don't you want to tell Danny you're leaving?" Greg asked.

"Nah, he'll figure it out. It's his job to notice stuff" Adam said dismissively and walked out Greg following with a smile. Adam was just as crazy in person.

* * *

Adam and Greg soon arrived at the lab. On the way they had discussed trivial things such as Vegas, girls, sports and what was new in New York.

"I'll show you my lab first" Adam said excitedly "oh, and by the way, if we run into any of my friends, ignore everything and anything they say about me" Adam warned. "_Especially _Mac"

"Got it" Greg laughed.

As the pair stepped out of the elevator, Greg was a little in awe. It looked so different to the lab back in Vegas. There was so much technology and equipment the CSI hadn't even seen before, maybe Greg wasn't as well educated as he thought. As Adam led him around the different rooms, Greg would ask questions about anything he didn't recognise and he was impressed with how much Adam could tell him, in such a professional manor after seeming so bouncy before. Greg supposed it was a lot like him in his lab days.

"Adam!" somebody called as the pair walked past the break room. A petite woman with short brown hair walked over and leaned in the doorframe. She was very pretty, in Greg's opinion. "Who's your friend?" she asked inquisitively.

"Oh this is Greg Sanders, the CSI from Vegas I told you about" Adam introduced. "Greg, this is Lindsay Messer. She's a CSI and Danny's wife."

"Nice to meet you" Greg said shaking her hand.

"You too, we've heard a lot about you" Lindsay said. "Adam, as if you haven't offered Greg coffee yet, what kind of host are you?! Come on Greg" she said turning into the room.

Adam rolled his eyes "Lindsay's like my big sister, she teases me a lot" he explained.

As they followed the New York CSI into the room, Greg was greeted by another woman. She was a little older than Lindsay, but still with a face of kindness. Adam went to make them coffee.

"So, _you're_ the infamous Greg Sanders!" she said getting up from her seat and shaking Greg's hand. "I'm Jo Danville, one of Adam's bosses"

"Nice to meet you... And it seems you already know me" Greg said feeling a little embarrassed. What had Adam been saying about him exactly? "I hope Adam has said only good things."

"He talks like you've been friends since you were kids" Jo said with a wink. "Take a seat! Tell me about being a CSI in Vegas."

So, the three New Yorkers sat around the table listening to Greg talk about life in the notorious Sin City, when two men entered the room.

"Who's this?" One of the men asked. He looked very tough in Greg's opinion, wore a fairly stern look similar to that of Brass's.

"You're a cop" Greg blurted out before he could stop himself "You all have that same suspicious look."

"I told you he was good" Adam said to Lindsay. "Guys, this is _Greg Sanders_" the lab tech stressed. "Greg, this is Detective Don Flack and CSI Sheldon Hawkes."

"No way!" Hawkes said sounding surprised. Flack looked equally as shocked. Greg was just confused by this reaction.

"He's real" Flack breathed.

"Excuse me?" Gre laughed.

"Well, just because they hadn't seen you before, they thought you weren't real" Adam explained flatly. "They thought I had an _imaginary friend_"

"It is the sort of crazy thing you would fathom, Adam" Hawkes pointed out. "Sorry though"

"Well, I can confirm I'm real" Greg said getting up to shake the men's hands. "And actually, I've heard quite a lot about you two" he smiled.

"Whatever he said we did to him, we didn't" Flack quickly defended.

Greg laughed "Nothing like that!" he reassured them.

Eventually, the CSI's and the detective had to get back to work, so Adam continued the tour. They were in the AV lab when Danny came storming up to them.

"Adam!" he exclaimed "Why didn't you tell me you'd left?" he asked angrily.

"I'm sorry Danny, I didn't think you'd mind" Adam said innocently.

"I thought something might have happened to you!" Danny replied.

"Why Danny, do you…_care_ about me?" Adam teased. Greg smiled; this was just like himself and Nick.

"No" the CSI said stubbornly crossing his arms.

Adam sighed and rolled his eyes. "I was bored and I bumped into Greg, so I brought him to take a look round"

"So, you're the hot girl Adam has been talking to" Danny said with small smile. The first time Adam and Greg had talked over the computer; Danny had been convinced the Vegas CSI was a girl Adam wanted to keep secret.

"I guess so…the hot part most definitely" Greg joked.

Danny laughed "it's nice to finally meet you"

"You too" Greg replied. Adam had told him a lot of stories about him and Danny teasing each other, but they were good friends really.

Suddenly, Adam's pager beeped. "Mac wants to see me" he explained. "Come on Greg, you can meet the boss!"

The lab tech led Greg to a quiet corner of the lab, where a stern looking man was sat at his desk, looking over a file. Adam had explained even though Mac may appear intimidating at first, he was really great once you got to know him. Greg couldn't help but be reminded a little of Grissom.

"Hey boss, you wanted to see me?" Adam announced his presence.

"Yes" Mac Taylor said looking up. He looked at Greg. "Adam?" he questioned.

"This is my friend Greg Sanders" Adam explained. "He's a level three CSI in Las Vegas. He was here at a conference, so I thought I'd show him how we do things over here."

"Oh, well it's nice to meet you Mister Sanders" Mac said standing up from his desk so they could shake hands. "Now Adam, I need you to take another look at these DNA results for me, something just doesn't sit right. I think our tech messed up"

"I don't know Mac, I'm not very good with DNA" Adam said sheepishly.

"Could I take a look sir?" Greg asked. "DNA is actually my field of specialty. I worked as a DNA tech for 5 years before I was a CSI"

"Oh yeah, Greg's like the best DNA analyst in the country!" Adam said eagerly.

"I don't know about that" Greg blushed.

"Don't be modest Greg" Mac said with a small smile "Adam certainly isn't when it comes to _his _work" he joked. Adam rolled his eyes. "Sure, take a look. I could use an expert opinion."

Greg studied the file intently for a few moments, whilst Adam and Mac waited patiently. "I think I see the problem" the Vegas CSI finally spoke. "May I use your lab?"

"No problem" Mac said "If you think you can help the case, we've been stuck for a while now"

"This way" Adam said, leading Greg to the DNA room.

The New York tech watched intently as Greg re-did some of the tests and Adam filled him in on the details of the case. Luckily, a lot of the technology in this particular lab Greg _did_ recognise after frequently using it himself.

Finally he printed off a new set of results and showed them to Adam "Positive matches" Greg grinned.

"Alright!" Adam said excitedly. "I knew you'd do it, show off. Let's go show Mac"

The two returned back to the supervisor's office and Mac studied the new results. He seemed very impressed "Wow Greg, looks like you've cracked the case for us."

"Just doing my job" Greg said.

"But you don't work here" Adam pointed out. "How are we supposed to pay you?"

"Erm, this one's on the house" Greg laughed. "Although, maybe if Mac was willing to put in the good word with _my_ supervisor, that could help me get the lead in some more cases."

"Consider it done" Mac said with smile. "Thank you very much Greg" he said, before leaving to go talk to the cops.

"So, all my team members seem to like you" Adam said happily.

"And I like them too" Greg said. "You know, you should come to Vegas soon and meet mine"

"Really? I would _love_ to go to Vegas" Adam replied eagerly.

"We'll arrange it" Greg promised. "Now, what do you recommend I go see next?"

* * *

**Hehe, this was quite fun to do, I think Adam and Greg would be great friends! XD Maybe I'll do one were Greg meets Ryan, my favourite CSI: Miami character :) **

**I'm getting through these prompts, it's awesome what you guys can come up with! I would love some more :D**

**Please Review :) Xx **


	40. Bad News

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for the feedback on the last story, and a lot of you seem to like my idea of Greg meeting Ryan, so watch out for that soon :) I'm just really in to writing these short stories at the moment. I hope you're still enjoying them!**

**This prompt comes from ****CSI001,**** who requested Greg telling Nick he has Cancer. I am aware this is a very sensitive subject for some people, so I hope I handled it with enough care. I wanted a really angsty and moving piece, I hope I achieved that. **

**Summary- Nick notices Greg has been really ill, but the youngest CSI struggles to share his devastating news and tries to come to terms with it.**

* * *

**Bad News**

Nick wondered if he was the only one who had noticed.

Greg had been extremely quiet the past week or so, this was the first sign for concern. Normally, the team would have trouble getting the trainee CSI to stop talking about trivial things when working, but now they were all but begging him to speak. The next sign was the tired look in Greg's eyes. His normally glinting brown orbs seemed almost clouded with tiredness, read rings prominent on the young CSI's unusually pale skin. Nick would often catch Greg wincing in pain when they were at a crime scene, maybe grimacing or raising a hand to his head. The last and most worrying sign was all the weight the youngest CSI seemed to have lost, weight he couldn't afford to lose. Nick feared if he even touched Greg, the young man might just snap in half.

Nick was really worried about his young friend. Something was clearly wrong, Greg was _clearly _ill and he was obviously trying to hide it. However, trying to hide something when all your friends were CSI's proved to be a near impossible task. Nick decided to confront Greg about it later on. The Texan hoped that being the young CSI's best friend would mean Greg would open up to him. In fact, Nick couldn't help but feel a little hurt that Greg hadn't talked to him so far. He thought the young man trusted him and could tell him anything. Apparently not.

One night, Nick, Grissom and Greg were all stood around one of the light tables going over the details of a case. Nick tried to listen to whatever it was Grissom was saying, but he couldn't help but keep giving worried glances to Greg, as the young man leaned heavily against the table, his eyes drooping dangerously closed.

"Greg?" Grissom said. He'd asked the young man a question but he'd failed to answer "Greg!" he said again.

The youngest CSI wavered on his feet for a second before starting to fall forward. Nick went wide eyed in shock and went to help the younger man, but Greg managed to place his palms on the table to steady himself.

"I'm sorry" he mumbled "I blacked out for a second but it's cool now" Greg said dismissively placing a hand on his hip. "What did you say?"

Nick looked at him disbelievingly "Greg! You can't ignore the fact you just…"

"It's my life and I can do what I want, Nick!" Greg yelled angrily before storming out the room.

Nick looked over at Grissom with worried eyes, and he could see that his supervisor also looked a little on edge. He too had noticed the change in Greg recently. "Go after him, I'll finish up" Grissom said. Nick gave him an appreciative smile before hurrying off down the hall.

The Texan found the youngest CSI lying on the break room floor, looking up at the ceiling intently.

"Mind if I join you?" Nick asked, but he didn't wait for an answer as he lay down next to Greg. "What are you looking at?" he questioned.

"Nothing really" the young man mumbled in response. "If I lay down it doesn't hurt as much"

"What doesn't hurt?" Nick asked concernedly.

"Nothing" Greg said quietly and rolled his head to look at the wall away from Nick.

The Texan sighed and sat up "Greg, come on we've been best friends for years now. You can tell me what's bothering you" the young man remained silent "I'll get it out of you somehow" Nick threatened "Maybe I'll sing to you…something from my country collection, yeah"

"Oh God, please don't" Greg moaned as he covered his ears.

Nick laughed; the old Greg was still there somewhere. "Well, then talk"

"I don't know if you've noticed but I haven't exactly been sleeping lately" Greg said as he rolled his head to look at Nick. "Or eating properly… and getting bad headaches…and that really sucks"

"Yes I have noticed, but why is that Greggo?" Nick pressed.

"I…" the young CSI wanted to tell him so badly, to finally get the burden off his chest. But he couldn't, he didn't want Nick or any else to worry about him like he knew they would. Nick could see the tears building in Greg's eyes and he put a comforting hand on the young man's shoulder. "I don't know if I can tell you" he finally said in a shaky voice. "It's too hard"

"Hey, I can handle it" Nick told him encouragingly. "Please Greggo, I'm worried about you. I just want to help and be there for you. Everything has been running through my mind on what could be wrong and it's escalated form like the flu, to an eating disorder to… I dunno drug abuse or something._ Every _bad possible scenario has run through my mind and it's driving me crazy"

"What about Cancer?" Greg asked quietly as he looked into Nick's eyes and let a tear slip. "Did you think of Cancer?"

Nick was silent for a moment before he scoffed. He refused to believe what Greg was implying "Nah you're too young for that...right?" he added worriedly. Greg just looked at him with sad eyes "Greg, you've pulled some pretty crazy shit, but this ain't funny" Nick said quietly still refusing to believe it.

"I wish it was a joke Nick… but it's not. I wish I was too young, but I'm not" he sat up and looked at the Texan whose eyes were wide with shock and he looked a little pale.

"No…" Nick said shaking his head. "That's not fair Greg, that's not fair" _He's so young._ Nick thought _He's so kind and caring, there's not a bad bone in his body .He doesn't deserve this… He's my little brother… _

Greg gulped "Tell me about it" he said with a very minor smile. "I was feeling really unwell about 3 weeks ago, I went to the doctor, thinking he'd just tell me it was some kind of stomach bug, he'd give me some pills and I could go home and get on with my life. But no...Boom, I have Cancer, and my world just gets turned upside down" he sniffed and started to cry as he looked down at the floor.

"I'm so sorry Greggo" Nick said running a hand through the younger man's hair before pulling him into a bear hug. He could feel just how bony Greg was now and that worried him even more "God, I'm so sorry" he said again as Greg began to sob into his shoulder.

"I don't want to die Nick" the Texan heard the young man mumble into his shoulder as Greg gripped onto his big brother as if he were his last life line. Greg started to sob loudly "Please, I don't want to die!"

"Hey, don't you dare talk like that" Nick said as he gave the young man a squeeze. "You are not going to die. Greg Sanders don't let nothing or nobody get the better of him. Greg Sanders doesn't give up, he fights, he fights and he won't ever give in"

Greg pulled away and wiped his eyes, taking some shaky breathes to try and calm himself down. "I-I'm sorry"

"Nothing to be sorry for G" Nick told him "Ecxept maybe not telling me sooner. You shouldn't have had to cope with this all on your own. I could have taken care of you; I _will_ take care of you"

"I know but, you guys have your own problems" Greg said "I didn't want to be a burden"

This upset Nick. He cupped the younger man's cheek with his hand "Greg, you are _so_ important to me. You could never be a burden. I love you like a little brother and I will be there for you whenever and wherever you need me. In fact, come stay with me for a few days, yeah?"

"Okay, thanks Nick" Greg said with a small smile. "You're going to go into way over protective mode now aren't you?" he added with a lopsided smirk.

"Yep, sorry buddy" Nick said placing an arm around the younger man and giving his shoulder a quick squeeze. "You're so thin, Greg. When was the last time you ate?" the Texan added concernedly.

"I try, but even the smallest thing makes me sick" the young man said placing a hand on what was left of his stomach.

"Maybe it's _because _you're not eating that you feel sick" Nick pointed out. "You didn't just nearly collapse in there over nothing. I'm gunna fatten you up good…and I'll even let you have my bed."

"No, Nick I couldn't do that" Greg protested.

"No arguments" the Texan said raising his hand "As your acting doctor, I say you need some proper rest"

"Nick, with you as my doctor I don't stand a chance" Greg joked and Nick nudged him in mock offence. They sat in silence for a moment before Greg spoke up again "The doctor said they caught it early, so there's a good chance with some treatment, I'll be okay"

"That's great G" Nick said with a reassuring smile.

"But…you know what's stupid?" Greg said. Nick shook his head. "The thing I'm worried about most with the treatment...is losing my hair." He said with an awkward look at Nick. He'd expected the Texan to laugh at him or something, but instead he looked like he understood. "It sort of defines who I am around here" Greg continued "You know, changing my hair, that's my thing. I dunno, I guess I just won't feel like I'm me anymore"

"No one will think of you differently Greg" Nick reassured him. "We all care about you too much and we'll support you through thick and thin. We won't walk on egg shells around you, we just want to help." He paused for a moment "Speaking of 'we'…I take it you haven't told the others yet"

Greg shook his head "You're the first person I've told, not even my parents."

"Well you should tell everyone else, and I'll be there to support you when you do" Nick told him in a _no arguments_ manner.

"Thanks Nick" Greg said with a small smile and they hugged again, the youngest CSI needing to feel his big brother's comfort. "I knew you'd be there for me. You're my best friend Nick, I hope you know that"

"Of course I do" the Texan replied "You're my best friend too, and like I say, anything you need"

Greg pulled away and gave him an appreciative smile. "You know what I would give anything in the world for right now?" he asked, placing a hand on his stomach.

"To be cured?" Nick said sympathetically.

"Actually, I was going to say chocolate chip pancakes" Greg said with a small smile and Nick laughed.

"Sure thing buddy. Come on, I'll take you, my treat" The Texan said as he helped the younger man up off the floor. "You going to be okay?" Nick asked placing a hand on Greg's shoulder.

"Yeah, just you watch" Greg said with a smug grin "I'm gunna kick cancer's ass"

"Atta boy" Nick said with a smile as he gave the young man an encouraging pat on the back.

For the first time since finding out about his illness, Greg finally felt more at ease. He would soon tell the others and his parents about what was wrong, and he knew they would be as supporting and caring as Nick was. He would have the treatment and fight against the demon inside.

And, in the end, Greg Sanders won.

* * *

**So… I hope that was okay, this was a really hard one to write, so I hope it had the right effect. **

**I'm running really low on prompts guys :'( I would love more, your ideas are great! **

**Please Review :) xx **


	41. Save Me

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks so much for the reviews and all the other awesome stuff that you do! This story is for ****McGeeklover ****who as always gave me **_**a great**_** Hurt!Greg story to do. I really enjoyed writing this one, so I hope you enjoy too :) xx **

**Summary – When a suspect attack's Greg in his apartment, will Nick realise something is wrong in time to save him?**

* * *

**Save Me **

Greg was absolutely exhausted when he returned to his apartment one night after a particularly gruelling shift. He'd had to handle a very difficult man whose girlfriend had just died, and he was demanding answers. When Greg said he couldn't give the man any because he was a suspect, this hadn't at all helped the man's pent up rage at the young CSI. Brass had to eventually have the angry man escorted out because he kept yelling profanities all over the building.

Now, Greg just wanted to climb into bed and forget the whole horrific ordeal. The man had been quite intimidating to the young CSI, but luckily Catherine had been there to step in. Greg kind of liked how she had this motherly protective mode sometimes. After that, the rookie CSI had been unusually quiet for the rest of the night, much to the concern of his friends, Nick especially. The Texan decided he would call Greg later to see if he just wanted to hang out and take his mind off things.

Greg entered his apartment and threw his keys down on the coffee table, before heading into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and studied the contents for a moment before deciding he wasn't really in the mood to eat. The young CSI made to go for his bedroom, but when he went back into the lounge, he found his apartment door slightly ajar. Frowning, because he was sure he'd locked it, Greg went to close it before heading to his bedroom.

The young CSI went to his room and flicked the light on before going to his wardrobe to pick out some different clothes. It was then, that Greg swore he heard a noise coming from his bathroom. The CSI began to grow a little worried as he cautiously made his way to the bathroom door. _You're just being paranoid_ Greg told himself as he put his hand on the door and quickly opened it.

_Okay, maybe not _He thought as his eyes grew wide with fright, and the man who he'd been having trouble earlier with stared back. "H-how did you get in here?" Greg stammered as he slowly began to back away. The man followed him. "Please, if y-you just leave now I w-won't…"

"Don't give me that bull crap, kid!" the man snarled as he lunged forward and grabbed hold of Greg's arm. The young CSI fought to get free and cried out for help, but the man just threw him against the wall. Greg hit his head and fell, hard. "How dare you accuse me of killing my own girlfriend!" the man yelled as he kicked Greg in the ribs and the young man whimpered in pain. "I loved her!" Another kick. "But then again, you wouldn't know what love feels like" the man smiled maliciously. "Who could love an annoying little dork like you?"

Scared and aching all over, Greg tired stand up again but his legs were shaking too badly. He was close to tears. Suddenly, the young CSI's phone started ringing in his back pocket. The man towering over Greg suddenly drew a gleaming knife from his pocket and pointed it at Greg's stomach.

"Answer it!" he commanded "We don't want anyone to think something's wrong" the man said with twisted glee. "And if you do make out anything is wrong; I'll kill you right here, right now, you understand?"

Greg gulped and nodded before pulling out his phone. _Shit,_ he thought helplessly as he saw it was Nick. He took a deep breath to calm himself before answering. _Come on man, you're my best friend, please sense something is wrong. _"Hey _Nicky_" Greg said as cheerfully as he could.

"_Erm hey_, Greggo" Nick replied sounding a little taken aback_. "I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out, you seemed a little out of sorts earlier, thought it might cheer you up." _

"Oh well erm thanks for the offer _Nicky_, but I'm really tired you know, so I think I'll pass if that's okay, _Nicky"_

"_Erm…okay…sure" _Nick replied. _He seems confused, maybe he's caught on._ Greg hoped. _"I'll, erm, I'll call you tomorrow"_

"Okay sure, bye _Nicky_" Greg said before hanging up and looking up at the man anticipating a look of approval.

"You're a good little actor" the man smirked "Now, let's have some fun!"

"Wa…" was all Greg could whisper before the man had grabbed him by the top of his hair and starting dragging him into the bedroom.

Again Greg started to try and squirm free, but the man keeping digging the knife a little further into him. He eventually threw Greg down on the bed and held the young CSI's head down by his hair, with the knife trained to Greg's throat.

"Please, please don't do this" Greg cried as tears began to stream down his face. But the man ignored him, if anything he was enjoying the pain and fear he was causing.

"Why not huh?" the man yelled getting spit in Greg's face. "If you're going to accuse me of murder, I might as well _actually_ murder someone!"

Greg whimpered as the man started making deep cuts across his face and arms, before moving to the young CSI's stomach. Greg started hyperventilating from sheer terror…this was soon replaced by a scream of utter horror as an unbearable pain erupted from Greg's abdomen. The bastard had stabbed him.

The man just laughed "Sweet dreams, CSI boy" he took Greg's phone so he couldn't call for help and then fled the room.

Greg was just left bleeding…dying on his bed, as he moved his shaky hands down to the now gaping hole in his abdomen. The young CSI shouted out in agony again before starting to cry harder. The vision in the corner of his eyes was already starting to go black.

"P-please, Nick" he begged quietly "Please"

* * *

Nick had been sat in a diner with Warrick when he had made the call to Greg. Warrick raised an eyebrow at his friend who wore an extremely confused look when he got off the phone with the youngest CSI.

"What's up?" Warrick asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

"I…I think something's wrong with Greg" Nick said concernedly as he looked back at his friend.

"Why's that?" Warrick questioned.

Nick sighed "Okay, this is going to sound really stupid but… he kept calling me _Nicky_" the Texan explained.

Warrick frowned. "Well…that's your name isn't it?" he said incredulously "Unless you changed it without telling any of us"

"Of course I haven't" Nick said with a roll of his eyes. "I just meant…well when has Greg _ever_ called me Nicky? I think he was trying to tell me something"

"I know but, come on man" Warrick said dismissively. "Don't you think you're over reacting, just a tad?"

"No not at all" the Texan retorted, getting a little frustrated. "Come on, name _one_ time Greg's called me Nicky" he said with an expectant look.

Warrick paused for a moment "Okay, I got nothing" Nick gave him a smug look "But that's not to say it means anything either!" Warrick protested.

"Oh, whatever, I'm going round to his place" Nick said grabbing his jacket and standing up.

"You're crazy man" Warrick said blankly.

"Look it's not just the name okay!" Nick said in frustration. "And it's not CSI instinct either. It's brotherly instinct. And brotherly instinct tells me something's wrong" he explained firmly before hurrying out the diner, leaving Warrick speechless.

Nick arrived at Greg's apartment about 20 minutes later and hurried into the building, jumping two steps at a time. When he reached Greg's apartment door, the Texan was slightly worried by the fact it was wide open. Wishing he had his gun on him, Nick cautiously stepped inside. The Texan listened to the silence for a while, before a sudden whimpering coming from the bedroom startled him.

"Greg!" Nick called in panic as he ran to the bedroom. He froze in the doorway at the terrifying sight before him. There was his little brother, lying helplessly on the bed shaking and crying as a small pool of red began to form around him. "Oh My God" Nick breathed as he hurried over.

"N-Nick?" Greg said, he was barely conscious but he could recognise that Texan drawl anywhere. "Nick, help me...please h-help me"

"Ssh it's okay buddy, I'm right here" Nick said calling for an ambulance as he ran a comforting hand through the younger man's hair_. Shit, his head's bleeding too, he might have a concussion. _"Don't go to sleep, okay Greggo? You're safe now; everything's going to be alright" As soon as he'd finished calling the ambulance, Nick moved to put pressure on the stab wound.

Greg cried out in pain "Oh God Nick it hurts!" the younger man's breathing was laboured too and a thin layer of sweat was beginning to cover his forehead.

"I know buddy, I'm so sorry" Nick said with tears in his eyes, he couldn't bear seeing the young man so hurt. "But you're strong Greg, so I know you can fight it and I know you can stay with me"

"'m trying" Greg mumbled as his eyes began to droop closed. "Pl-please, just d-don't leave me Nicky, d-don't leave me"

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere. I promise." Nick reassured him. "How's the pain doing Greggo?" he asked, but the young man didn't respond. "Shit, Greg!" Nick yelled as he realised the young man's eyes were completely closes now. "Greggo wake up, come on don't do this to me man!" He checked the young CSI's pulse, it was there but it was faint. God there was so much blood, someone as small as Greg can't lose all that blood.

Suddenly, the paramedics burst into room. Nick moved out of the way to let them work, but only a few feet , not leaving Greg as he'd promised. They were finally ready to move Greg into the ambulance and Nick followed quickly, not wanting Greg to leave his sight.

* * *

Nick had been sat by Greg's bedside for 6 hours now. The medics had immediately taken the young man for a blood transfusion and stitched up and cleaned the majority of his wounds. It made Nick feel sick that some bastard could actually do this to Greg, his little brother. They'd had a pretty good idea who it was, so Brass had gone round to the earlier suspect's home to find him packing. They'd arrested him immediately.

Warrick came to visit later on, giving Greg a sad look "Man, I'm so sorry I didn't believe you" he said to Nick. "I feel like such an idiot"

"Yeah well, you can make it up to us later" Nick smirked.

Suddenly Greg let out a soft moan as his eyes began to flutter open. At first he wondered why he was in a hospital bed but it all came back to him quickly and he began to shake in fear.

"Hey buddy; calm down" Nick said putting a hand on Greg's arm "We arrested the bastard. You're safe now."

"Nick? What are you doing here?"

"Saving your ass like I always do" he teased. Greg didn't smile. "Because we care about you man and you scared us shitless, duh"

"But that guy he…he said no one could love an annoying little dork like me" Greg said sadly.

"Well he was wrong" Nick said giving the younger man's shoulder a light squeeze.

"Yeah, no one messes with _our _annoying little dork and gets away with it" Warrick quipped. Greg rolled his eyes but he couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, that was a pretty clever idea you had back there" Nick told the younger man.

"I knew you'd figure it out" Greg said with a small smile. "Thanks for saving me Nick"

"Hey, it's all down to you man. You're the brain and I'm the brawn, that's how it works in this brotherhood"

"Man it's creepy" Warrick told Greg "He has like a sixth sense when it comes down to this kind of thing" he said referring to Nick.

"And I'm grateful for it" Greg said.

"Hey, I'll always be there for my little bro" Nick said reassuringly. "And don't you ever forget it"

* * *

**So…there! I hope it was angtsy and bromantic enough for y'all. Hehe, more prompts please, lots more prompts, I want to gobble them up! *nom nom nom* **

**Side note: Soo excited for the final season of CSI:NY to start airing in the UK tomorrow, gunna be great!**

**Please Review :) xx **


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